Willie Spence

Willie Spence (June 18, 1999 – October 11, 2022) was an American singer. He was the runner-up of the nineteenth season of American Idol at the age of 22.

For other people with similar names, see William Spence.
Willie Spence
Born(1999-06-18)June 18, 1999
West Palm Beach, Florida, U.S.
DiedOctober 11, 2022(2022-10-11) (aged 23)
Jasper, Tennessee, U.S.
Occupation(s)Singer
Years active2017–2022

Life

Spence was born on June 18, 1999,[1] in West Palm Beach, Florida, and grew up in Douglas, Georgia, after his family moved there.[2]

Spence posted online videos of him singing during his time in high school. In 2017, a video he had posted singing the Rihanna song "Diamonds" went viral on YouTube, eventually garnering over 15 million views.[2] This brought him significant attention, including an appearance on the talk show Steve, hosted by Steve Harvey.[3][2] In 2021, Spence auditioned for season 19 of American Idol. His performances received a positive reception from the judges,[2] and Spence ended up placing second in the competition, only behind Chayce Beckham.[4]

Death

Spence was killed in a car crash on Interstate 24 near Chattanooga on October 11, 2022 at 23 years old.[5] His death was reported by the Marion County Sheriff's Office.[6] According to WSB-TV in Atlanta, he was driving a Jeep Cherokee when he veered off I-24 at around 4:00PM ET. His vehicle struck a tractor- trailer that was stopped on the shoulder of the road. The driver of that vehicle was not injured.[6]

The official Instagram account for American Idol reposted a video of Spence's audition for the show as a tribute.[2] Beckham and Katharine McPhee, a contestant on the show's fifth season who had previously performed with Spence, posted their own tributes to Spence on Instagram.[3][4]

Spence is the fifth American Idol finalist to die after Michael Johns in 2014, Rickey Smith in 2016, Leah LaBelle in 2018, and Nikki McKibbin in 2020. C.J. Harris subsequently became the sixth finalist to pass away in 2023.

References
  1. "williespenceofficial". Twitter. Archived from the original on October 12, 2022. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
  2. France, Lisa Respers (October 12, 2022). "Willie Spence, 'American Idol' Season 19 runner-up, dead at 23". CNN. Archived from the original on October 12, 2022. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
  3. Keeley, Matt (October 12, 2022). "RIP Willie Spence: Tributes pour in for "American Idol" singer after crash". Newsweek. Archived from the original on October 13, 2022. Retrieved October 13, 2022.
  4. Whitaker, Sterling (October 12, 2022). "Chayce Beckham Tributes 'American Idol' Star Willie Spence After Fatal Crash". Taste of Country. Townsquare Media. Archived from the original on October 13, 2022. Retrieved October 13, 2022.
  5. "'American Idol' finalist dies in vehicle crash". CTV News. 2022-10-12. Retrieved 2022-10-12.
  6. "Georgia-born American Idol star Willie Spence killed in car accident at 23". WSB-TV. October 12, 2022. Archived from the original on October 12, 2022. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
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