CJ Harris, a previous competitor on “American Idol” who competed in 2014 and made it to the top 6 of the competition, has passed away.
According to a member of CJ’s family, he suffered what appears to have been a heart attack late on Sunday night in Jasper, Alabama. He was rushed to a nearby hospital in an ambulance, but he did not survive.
Fans of the show may remember the native of Jasper performing his audition for the judges in Salt Lake City in 2014, where he wowed them with his rendition of “Soulshine” by the Allman Brothers Band.
CJ was admonished by the judge, Keith Urban, “You don’t sing because you enjoy it; rather, you perform because you feel obligated to. I mean that in the most profound sense possible. And this is precisely why it is so convincing and authentic.”
CJ stunned America with solid renditions of “Too Close,” “American Woman,” and “Free Fallin'” after his fantastic audition performance. After not garnering a sufficient number of votes, the judges decided to keep him in the competition as a wild card. He eventually made it to the top six before being eliminated.
After being eliminated from “American Idol,” CJ went on to play at the Grand Ole Opry with Darius Rucker, a musician he stated had a significant impact on his sound. Even more recently, he performed for fans on the season 13 tour of the competition show.
He was just 31 years old.
