Singer Mandisa died on Thursday, April 18 at her home in Nashville. She was 47 years old.
Mandisa, born Mandisa Lynn Hundley, starred on American Idol in its fifth season in 2006. She placed ninth, with Taylor Hicks winning the season. Mandisa charmed audiences during her appearance on the competition show and went on to have an incredibly fruitful music career after her elimination.
The Idol alumna became a beloved figure in the Christian music genre, and she garnered millions of listens throughout her career. Her debut album, True Beauty, topped the Billboard U.S. Christian Album charts in 2007, selling over 225,000 units.
In 2014, Mandisa won the Grammy for Best Contemporary Christian Music Album for her best-selling, critically acclaimed album, Overcomer, and Best Contemporary Christian Music Song for the album's title track. The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Christian Albums Chart and the single "Overcomer" went number one on the National Christian Audience chart for several weeks. The song reached RIAA platinum certification in 2020. Mandisa was also nominated for Grammys in 2008, 2010 and 2012.
Mandisa notably did not attend the 2014 ceremony where she won two awards, saying that her faith kept her at home.
"Perhaps being alone with Him as my name was announced was protecting myself from where my flesh would have tried to drag me had I been up on that stage. It gave me time to focus," she wrote on Facebook at the time.
She collaborated with a variety of fellow Christian musicians like TobyMac, Matthew West and Kirk Franklin.
Mandisa released her last album, Out of the Dark, in 2017. It topped the Christian Albums chart and reached the 60th spot on the wider Billboard Charts. In 2020, a Mandisa compilation album was released: Overcomer: The Greatest Hits.
Mandisa delivered beautiful performances on American Idol. She charmed audiences with songs like "I'm Every Woman" by Chaka Khan and "Don't' You Worry 'Bout A Thing" by Stevie Wonder.
The singer took a break from the public eye in 2013 following the death of a close friend. She did not record music for three whole years. In May 2017, she returned with a new album: Out of the Dark. She later released her memoir, Out of the Dark: My Journey Through the Shadows to Find God's Joy in 2022.
The memoir details her struggles with depression following the loss of her friend, and finding hope through her experience with God and Christianity. She detailed that, "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."
Today, a representative for Mandisa said in a statement that,
"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."
