American Idol alum CJ Harris, Season 13’s sixth place finisher, died on Sunday. He was 31.
According to TMZ, which first reported the news, Harris was rushed to a hospital in his hometown of Jasper, Alabama after suffering a heart attack. He died shortly thereafter.
Harris performed Allman Brothers Band’s “Soulshine” during his Salt Lake City-based Idol audition in 2014 (watch it here), wowing then-judges Harry Connick Jr., Jennifer Lopez and Keith Urban.
“You sing because you have to sing, not because you want to sing,” Urban raved at the time. “And I mean that in the deepest way… That’s why it’s so believable and real.”
In an interview with TVLine shortly after his elimination from the then-Fox reality phenom, Harris admitted that he faced myriad challenges during his stint on the show, including transitioning from solo acoustic sets to a massive stage and a booming house band, and avoiding psyching himself out before taking the stage.
