CELEBRITY NEWS
American Idol Remembers ‘Adored Icon’ Mandisa with Special Tribute Performance
“Her passing has left everyone on the show heartbroken,” a rep for ‘Idol’ said in a statement
American Idol is paying its respects to former contestant Mandisa with a special performance.
On Monday, April 29, the long-running singing competition series will feature a tribute to 2005 Idol alum Mandisa following her April 18 death. She was 47 years old.
“Mandisa was an adored icon on American Idol and in the music industry. She had become a platinum-selling artist and had won several Grammys for her music. Her passing has left everyone on the show heartbroken, and we extend our deepest condolences to her family,” a rep for the show said in a statement to PEOPLE.
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Monday’s episode, titled “Judges’ Song Contest,” saw Idol alums Colton Dixon, Melinda Doolittle and Danny Gokey performing “Shackles” by Mary Mary as a tribute to their late friend. Host Ryan Seacrest published a photo of himself with the three singers on Instagram before the episode aired.
According to an Instagram Stories post by Dixon, 32, Mandisa had performed the song on American Idol when she was a contestant during season five. She later recorded it for her debut album True Beauty in 2007.
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“Mandisa is the sweetest, kindest soul that @anniedixon__ and I have met on the road,” Dixon began in an Instagram post the day after her death. He then recalled a few of his favorite memories with her, including touring with TobyMac.
“But what I remember most was her kindness and ministering spirit into both [wife] Annie and I,” he wrote.
Dixon, Doolittle, 46, and Gokey, 44, each shared social media tributes to the “You Wouldn’t Cry” singer ahead of Monday’s broadcast.
“I keep waiting for the right words, but I’m not sure they’ll come. So, I’ll just say that I wish everyone had even a small dose of Mandisa in their lives,” Doolittle captioned an Instagram selfie of herself and the “Overcomer” singer smiling together.
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One of Mandisa’s best qualities that Doolittle, 46, shared was that “she would laugh the hardest at your worst joke.”
“D, your presence and friendship has been a gift for over 20 years. I’m so grateful to have been loved by you in a way that makes this loss so very profound,” her post concluded.
Meanwhile, Gokey, 44, said on his Instagram Stories on Monday that he was “honored” to be included in her tribute.
“We can confirm that yesterday Mandisa was found in her home deceased,” a rep for the Christian gospel songstress previously told PEOPLE in a statement. “At this time we do not know the cause of death or any further details. We ask for your prayers for her family and close knit circle of friends during this incredibly difficult time.”
American Idol airs Sundays and Mondays at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on ABC.
