CJ Harris may not have won "American Idol," but he won millions of hearts and earned him some fans during his stint on the show.
This is probably why so many were devastated to learn that he had suddenly passed away on Jan. 15 at the age of 31.
No one saw it coming, in fact, many assumed that this would be a great year for the singer, since he had just hinted that he will be releasing new material this year.
On New Year's Day, the singer took to social media to greet fans and hinted that he had been taking some tricks to the recording studio and that "new music [is] coming soon!"
Unfortunately, whatever music he planned on releasing will have to be put on hold for the time being, but perhaps it might be released posthumously?
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The Climb
Harris had several attempts at launching his music career before he placed sixth on the 13th season of "American Idol."
According to reports, he joined the 10th season and even auditioned for several other shows like "The X-Factor" and "The Voice."
His love for music stems back to his childhood, and it was what powered him to push forward despite the roadblocks he faced.
He graced the stage of The Grand Ole Pry with Darius Rucker and joined the "American Idol 13 tour," but did not entirely take off as a singer.
Since his stint in "American Idol," Harris has only released one single, "In Love," in 2019, and no albums.
However, the songs he sang on "American Idol" remain some of his steadfast fan favorites like "Invisible," "If It Hadn't Been for Love," "Soulshine," "Free Fallin," "Gravity," and "American Woman."
Not much is known about how the late singer earned his coin, as he actually has not released any new music for quite some time, and his Spotify profile looks like a ghost town. According to reports, however, he had a net worth of $5 million when he passed away.
Other alums of "American Idol" mourned his death. "Your talent and smile will be missed, and the world is definitely a darker and eerily quieter place without you in it," wrote Jessica Meuse.
"I'll miss your random phone calls asking for life advice and talking about the music world... There are a lot of things I realize I will never understand - you leaving us so soon is one of those things."
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