American Idol contestant CJ Harris passed away at the age of 31 from what is believed to have been a heart attack, according to his family.
The singer was taken to a nearby hospital on Sunday night but passed away, a relative informed TMZ.
Judges Jennifer Lopez, Keith Urban, and Harry Connick Jr. all expressed their lasting impressions of Harris throughout season 13 of the competition.
In Salt Lake City, CJ stunned them with his cover of Soulshine by the Allman Brothers Band.
Famously, Urban informed Harris: “You don’t sing because you want to; you sing because you have to. And, believe me, I truly mean that. And for that reason, it feels so authentic and true.”
Connick also said to him: “There’s something about the entirety of what you are, it’s really a sense that you have that was extremely lovely.” Lopez acknowledged that she “really loved” his music.
Following his audition, CJ went on to perform songs like Too Close, American Woman, and Free Fallin’ to further demonstrate his powerful voice. Eventually, he pleased the judges so much that he was selected as a wildcard in the semi-finals.
Before being regrettably ousted from the competition, he advanced to the top six.
He sang and sung alongside Darius Rucker during American Idol’s 13th season nationwide tour after his appearance.
CJ mentioned his son during his appearance on the programme and acknowledged the value of spending time with him.
Harris displayed his gentle, family-man side as Jordan assisted the budding singer in putting his career in perspective.
He spoke to People Magazine about Jordan and said: “It really helped me out a lot to get away and have my son with me […] I would get done with my day around 7pm and would run over there and stay with him until around 1am.”
CJ kept going: “It served as a timely reminder of my obligations. I simply maintained my concentration while practising my guitar’s rhythm and tune. Because I don’t know when I’ll see him again, I enjoyed spending time with him.”
