Mandisa, American Idol Star, Dead At 47

Gospel singer Mandisa died on April 18 at 47 years old. She was found dead at her home in Nashville, but no details were offered at the time of her death. “We can confirm that yesterday Mandisa was found in her home deceased,” a rep for the singer told People. “At this time we do not know the cause of death or any further details,” they added.

Mandisa’s career took off in 2006 when she made the top 10 in Season 5 of “American Idol.” Afterwards, she was able to parlay that exposure into a singing career. Her first album “True Beauty” came out that same year, and she released five more albums ending with 2017’s “Out of the Dark.” Along the way, four of Mandisa’s albums were nominated for Grammys.

The title of Mandisa’s last album “Out of the Dark,” was a reference to a particularly hard time in her life. In April 2017, the singer spoke about her struggles with depression following the death of a close friend a few years earlier. “It got pretty bad — to the point where if I had not gotten off that road I would not be sitting here today,” she said on “Good Morning America” at the time.

More to come…