Current:Home > Stocks'American Idol' alum Mandisa dies at 47, 'GMA' host Robin Roberts mourns loss -Prime Money Path
'American Idol' alum Mandisa dies at 47, 'GMA' host Robin Roberts mourns loss
View
Date:2025-04-15 13:19:31
Christian music sensation Mandisa has died at 47.
The singer was found deceased in her home on Thursday, a rep for Mandisa confirmed to USA TODAY on Friday.
“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," her team said via email.
A post from her official Facebook account addressed her death Friday.
"Mandisa was a voice of encouragement and truth to people facing life’s challenges all around the world. She wrote this song for a dear friend who had passed in 2017. Her own words say it best. 'I'm already home, You've got to lay it down 'cause Jesus holds me now—And I am not alone,'" the statement read.
The California native first rose to fame on Season 5 of "American Idol," where she finished within the Top 10.
Later, she released her debut album "True Beauty" and went on to become one of the most recognizable voices in the Christian music industry. The five-time Grammy Award nominee snagged the best contemporary Christian music album award for her 2013 album, "Overcomer," featuring the popular title song.
Passages 2024:Dickey Betts, Eleanor Coppola, Roberto Cavalli, more stars we've lost
Robin Roberts mourns loss of Mandisa, who she listened to during cancer treatments
In 2017, during an interview with Robin Roberts on "Good Morning America," Mandisa recounted her struggle with a deep depression three years prior. She said she became depressed after the death of her best friend LaKisha "Kisha" Mitchell, who was also a background singer for the star, from breast cancer.
“It got pretty bad to the point where if I had not gotten off that road I would not be sitting here today,” Mandisa told Robin Roberts on “GMA.” "I was this close to listening to that voice that told me, ‘You can be with Jesus right now, Mandisa. All you have to do is take your life.'"
Roberts, who listened to Mandisa's song "Stronger" during her own breast cancer treatments, mourned Mandisa's loss in a Facebook post Friday, recounting how the "Idol" alum was present during her first day back on "GMA" after her cancer battle.
"My heart is heavy hearing about Mandisa. Incredibly blessed that she was there my first day back on GMA after my long medical leave. Her beautiful music and spirit lifted me and countless others. Sending prayers and condolences to her family & loved ones." she said, adding a link of Mandisa's performance.
Mandisa's death shared by Christian radio station: 'Struggles are over'
Mandisa's death was first shared in a blog post by Christian radio station K-Love.
In a statement, K-Love Chief Media Officer David Pierce said she "loved Jesus, and she used her unusually extensive platform to talk about Him at every turn" and asked for prayers for the star's family and friends.
"Her kindness was epic, her smile electric, her voice massive, but it wasno match for the size of her heart. Mandisa struggled, and she was vulnerable enough to share that with us, which helped us talk about our own struggles. Mandisa’s struggles are over. She is with the God she sang about now. While we are saddened, Mandisa is home," the statement read.
veryGood! (34)
Related
- Bodycam footage shows high
- Why the EPA puts a higher value on rich lives lost to climate change
- Why a debt tsunami is coming for the global economy
- Tom Brady ends his football playing days, but he's not done with the sport
- Trump issues order to ban transgender troops from serving openly in the military
- Britney Spears Says She Visited With Sister Jamie Lynn Spears After Rocky Relationship
- Powerball jackpot climbs to $875 million after no winners in Wednesday's drawing
- Kim Kardashian Reveals Why She Deleted TikTok of North West Rapping Ice Spice Lyrics
- A White House order claims to end 'censorship.' What does that mean?
- Inside Clean Energy: Fact-Checking the Energy Secretary’s Optimism on Coal
Ranking
- Senate begins final push to expand Social Security benefits for millions of people
- A Plunge in Mass Transit Ridership Deals a Huge Blow to Climate Change Mitigation
- Zoom is the latest tech firm to announce layoffs, and its CEO will take a 98% pay cut
- In a Summer of Deadly Deluges, New Research Shows How Global Warming Fuels Flooding
- Head of the Federal Aviation Administration to resign, allowing Trump to pick his successor
- Warming Trends: Climate Clues Deep in the Ocean, Robotic Bee Hives and Greenland’s Big Melt
- Meagan Good Supports Boyfriend Jonathan Majors at Court Appearance in Assault Case
- Warming Trends: Cruise Ship Impacts, a Vehicle Inside the Hurricane’s Eye and Anticipating Climate Tipping Points
Recommendation
$73.5M beach replenishment project starts in January at Jersey Shore
Zoom is the latest tech firm to announce layoffs, and its CEO will take a 98% pay cut
Study: Commuting has an upside and remote workers may be missing out
The Rate of Global Warming During Next 25 Years Could Be Double What it Was in the Previous 50, a Renowned Climate Scientist Warns
Paula Abdul settles lawsuit with former 'So You Think You Can Dance' co
DC Young Fly Dedicates Netflix Comedy Special to Partner Jacky Oh After Her Death
Shoppers Say This Tula Eye Cream Is “Magic in a Bottle”: Don’t Miss This 2 for the Price of 1 Deal
One journalist was killed for his work. Another finished what he started