Willie Spence | |
---|---|
Years active | 2017–2022 |
Born | West Palm Beach, Florida, U.S. | June 18, 1999
Died | October 11, 2022 Jasper, Tennessee, U.S. | (aged 23)
Occupation | Singer |
Willie Spence (June 18, 1999 – October 11, 2022) was an American singer. He was the runner-up of the nineteenth season of American Idol at the age of 22.
Spence was born on June 18, 1999, [1] in West Palm Beach, Florida, and grew up in Douglas, Georgia, after his family moved there. [2]
Spence posted online videos of him singing during his time in high school. In 2017, a video he had posted singing the Rihanna song " Diamonds" went viral on YouTube, eventually garnering over 32 million views. [2] This brought him significant attention, including an appearance on the talk show Steve, hosted by Steve Harvey. [2] [3] In 2021, Spence auditioned for the nineteenth season of American Idol. His performances received a positive reception from the judges, [2] and Spence ended up placing second in the competition, only behind Chayce Beckham. [4]
Spence was killed in a car crash on Interstate 24 near Chattanooga on October 11, 2022, at 23 years old. [5] His death was reported by the Marion County Sheriff's Office. [6] According to WSB-TV in Atlanta, he was driving a Jeep Cherokee when he veered off I-24 at around 4:00PM ET. His vehicle struck a tractor-trailer that was stopped on the shoulder of the road. The driver of that vehicle was not injured. [6]
The official Instagram account for American Idol reposted a video of Spence's audition for the show as a tribute. [2] Beckham and Katharine McPhee, a contestant on the show's fifth season who had previously performed with Spence, posted their own tributes to Spence on Instagram. [3] [4]