Curtis “C.J.” Harris, a former contestant on “American Idol,” has died. The 31-year-old from Jasper, Alabama, died after struggling cardiac arrest on Sunday, a spokesperson for the Walker County Coroner confirmed to CBS News.
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Harris competed on the thirteenth season of singing competitors present 2014, at simply 23 years previous, coming in sixth place. He auditioned for the present in Tuscaloosa, in line with AL.com, which profiled the Alabama members on the time.
He carried out for judges Jennifer Lopez, Keith Urban and Harry Connick Jr. and have become identified for his rendition of “Soulshine,” by The Allman Brothers Band, which Urban praised him for. “You sing ’cause you have to sing, not ’cause you want to sing. And I mean that in the deepest way. And that’s why it’s so believable and real,” Urban mentioned.
Several of his “American Idol” performances can be found to stream on Spotify. Harris usually posted movies of himself acting on Instagram, most not too long ago sharing a video of himself singing a canopy of The Fray’s “How to Save a Life.”
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter in 2014, Harris mentioned his mom and grandfather impressed his love of music from a really younger age.
“I was six years old and my mom was in prison. She would sing to me over the phone and tears would just flow out of my eyes,” he mentioned.
“When I was a little older, my granddad gave me a guitar. He had one in the shed and it had three strings on it. He said I didn’t need to buy a whole new set of strings. So I would tune it in a way that when I strummed it, it sounded like it’s in a key of whatever. I find different sounds,” he continued. “I just love music so I really try to find a sound that I really like and just play it. I know that’s weird, but that’s what I do.”
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After “American Idol,” Harris carried out with Darius Rucker on the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville in 2014, in line with Entertainment Tonight. He additionally toured with fellow “American Idol” contestants. He launched his debut single, “In Love,” in 2019.
Fellow “American Idol” Season 13 contestant Jessica Meuse posted {a photograph} of herself and Harris on Instagram following the news of his dying. “I’m completely shocked. Your talent and smile will be missed, and the world is definitely a darker and eerily quieter place without you in it,” she wrote. “I’ll miss your random phone calls asking for life advice and talking about the music world.”
Harris was a father of two, in line with People.
