The singer was also a Grammy winner.
The Big Picture
- Mandisa, an
American Idol
star, passed away at 47 after leaving a lasting mark on American music. - Her openness about struggles with fame, body image, and mental health resonated with many.
- Mandisa emphasized the importance of surrounding oneself with diverse people for growth and support.
Mandisa, the American Idol star from back in 2005, passed away at the age of 47. Starring in Season 5 of the series, Mandisa was in the top 10 along with musicians like Katherine McPhee and Kellie Pickler and that year’s winner, Taylor Hicks. Singing songs like “I’m Every Woman,” Mandisa captured the hearts of America before going on to release music all her own with her album True Beauty.
A rep for the singer told PEOPLE, “We can confirm that yesterday Mandisa was found in her home deceased. 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.”
She received Grammy nominations for her work and even wrote a memoir in 2022 titled Out of the Dark: My Journey Through the Shadows to Find God’s Joy that highlighted the darker parts of fame and losing her friend to cancer. She was open and honest about her thoughts about her own body, weight gain, and shared with the world that her friends saved her from attempting to take her own life.
Madisa and Her Love for Those Around Her
In her memoir, Mandisa wrote about times when she needed friends and those who came to her aid and talked a lot about the people she surrounded herself with, specifically her tribe and those she has included in it to help make her life better.
“During my life I’ve been drawn into friendships with all types of people — some very different from me,” she wrote. “My tribe has included men, women, single people, married people with kids, millennials, more ‘seasoned’ folks, and every age in between. … You learn so much and become a richer person by surrounding yourself with people who are different from you. As I’ve walked through hard things in my life, I’ve sometimes been surprised by the people God has used to comfort and help me. At times I get to be there for them too. That’s what it’s all about.”
In the midst of all of Mandisa’s accolades, she was still clearly someone who cared about the people in her life above all and her last album, 2017’s Out of the Dark, is seemingly the last bit of music we’ll have from Mandisa, her work and her brilliance is going to be missed.
This article was originally published on collider.com