A competitor from the fifth season of American Idol, Mandisa, who went on to win a Grammy Award, passed away on Thursday, April 18, at the age of 47. Mandisa was a vocalist who had a breakthrough performance.
“We are able to confirm that yesterday, Mandisa was discovered in her home after she had passed away,” a representative for the singer said in a statement to People. “At this time, we do not have any more information or knowledge on the cause of loss. We would be grateful if you would pray for her family and the close-knit group of friends she has at this really trying time.
Mandisa was born and reared in Citrus Heights, California, and she attended college to study music before attempting to compete for American Idol in the year 2005.
She would go on to gain national attention on the reality competition show’s fifth season (which began airing in 2006), making it to the top 10 alongside favorites such as Katharine McPhee, Kellie Pickler, Chris Daughtry, Paris Bennett, Elliott Yamin, and Taylor Hicks, who would ultimately win the competition. She was a soulful singer with a magnetic personality.
In the course of the competition, Mandisa received compliments from the judges, including Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, and Randy Jackson, for her renditions of songs such as “I’m Every Woman” by Chaka Khan and “Don’t You Worry ‘Bout a Thing” by Stevie Wonder. In spite of the fact that she was eliminated in the top nine, she even forgave Simon Cowell for making fun of her weight.
However, Mandisa’s pursuit of stardom was not halted by her removal from American Idol.
The year 2007 saw the release of her first studio album, titled True Beauty. During the 27-year history of the Top Christian Albums chart, Mandisa became the first new female artist to ever debut at the top of the list. This historic accomplishment was accomplished by the album’s debut at number one on the charts.
The first six albums that Mandisa would release during her career were titled True Beauty. These albums included the critically praised holiday record It’s Christmas, which was released in 2008, as well as her most recent offering, Out of the Dark, which was released in 2017.
True Beauty, Freedom (2009), What If We Were Real (2011), and Overcomer (2013) are the four albums that have garnered Mandisa Grammy nominations. The first two of these albums were nominated for best pop/contemporary gospel album, while the final two were nominated for best contemporary Christian music album. The prize would be awarded to her in 2014, the same year that she was also nominated for best gospel/contemporary Christian music performance for her song “Overcomer.”
Over the course of her career, the singer has worked with notable artists such as TobyMac, Michael W. Smith, Jordan Feliz, Jon Reddick, Kirk Franklin, and Matthew West. These individuals have all expressed their admiration for the singer’s skill and kindness, both on stage and off.
Fame, on the other hand, brought both highs and lows for Mandisa.
Out of the Dark: My Journey Through the Shadows to Find God’s Joy, which she published in 2002, was a book that detailed her struggle with sadness and anxiety after the loss of a close friend to cancer. She referred to this time as her “deep dark” phase. She withdrew herself in an attempt to find solace in food as her health continued to deteriorate.
“The moment she went away, it rocked the very foundations that I was standing on behind. After that, I fell into a deep hole of sadness. “I went back to my old ways, which is food,” Mandisa said in an interview with People in 2017, saying that she had gained back the 120 pounds that she had lost in the past, in addition to 75 more pounds.
Mandisa started living a solitary life throughout that time period. It was then that she remembered, “You are struggling with shame, and you do not want to leave the house.” The most of the time, I did not go out of the home. I walked downstairs, sat in the chair, and watched television constantly when I got up. I did this for five hours straight. My sole departure was when I became dissatisfied with the pizza delivery service and made the decision to order from McDonald’s.
She even pondered ending her life when she was at her lowest moment. “I felt so hopeless; I was so miserable,” Mandisa recalled. “I was so miserable.” “Not only am I a lady of faith, but I also believe that heaven exists, and when the time comes for me to go from this world, I will be in paradise with Jesus. Some of the things that I began to hear during that difficult time were things like, “You are in a great deal of pain.” There is a possibility that you are in paradise with Jesus right now if you choose to end your life.
An intervention that was performed by her friends helped her become aware of the facts of her mental health predicament and helped put her on a path that would allow her to start coping with the feelings that she had absorbed.
She said in her book that “the darkness felt a little less dark” than it had before. “A very little flicker was seen to me. The first rays of light were starting to penetrate.”
The singer, who has sold an incredible number of platinum records, continued by praising the profound ties she has among her broad group of pals.
“During my life I’ve been drawn into friendships with all types of people — some very different from me,” stated Mandisa in response. “Members of my tribe have included people of all ages, including men, women, singles, married couples with children, millennials, more “seasoned” individuals, and people of every age in between… By surrounding yourself with individuals who are different from you, you will gain a great deal of knowledge and become a more well-rounded individual. As I have made my way through challenging situations in my life, I have sometimes been taken aback by the individuals that God has chosen to provide me with solace and assistance. It is also possible for me to be present for them at times. That’s the point that matters the most.”
