‘American Idol’ singer Willie Spence sings in video hours before Tennessee car crash death
Season 19 runner-up of “American Idol” Willie Spence, 23, died following a car crash in Tennessee on Tuesday, according to Tennessee Highway Patrol, NBC reported.
Shortly before the fatal crash, Spence made one final Instagram post. In that video, Spence sings the opening verses to the song “You Are My Hiding Place,” by the contemporary Christian vocal trio Selah.
Captioned with the phrase “Lord you are my hiding place,” Spence is seen sitting in a vehicle while delivering the emotional ballad.
The video appears to have been posted early on Tuesday afternoon by Spence. Around 4 p.m. the crash occurred in which the singer’s 2019 Jeep Cherokee went off the interstate road in eastern Tennessee he was on and collided with the back of a tractor-trailer parked on the shoulder, NBC said, citing a report it obtained from the Tennessee Highway Patrol. The highway patrol is investigating what happened.
Spence’s last post, which has garnered over 26,000 likes, has become a space for Spence’s fans, friends and fellow artists to remember him following his unexpected death.
Many of the messages and comments posted in the wake of the news paid tribute to the singer and acknowledged the relation between the song and Spence’s passing.
Singer Liamani Segura, wrote “Fly and sing with the angels and dance amongst the stars friend.”
Katharine McPhee Foster, who herself was once a notable contestant on “American Idol,” commented on Spence’s post “You’re with Jesus now. God bless you. Thankful for the time we had.”
Fellow former “American Idol” contestant, Brennan “Beane” Hepler simply commented three golden heart emojis.
Musician Jhacari wrote “This one hit different… My heart goes out to you, your family, friends and your supports around the world,” and featured emojis of a broken heart, hands in prayer and an angel.
Spence was a fan favorite on “American Idol,” with show judge Luke Bryan saying to him once, “You’re literally going to save people’s lives with your voice. You’re going to bring people back from darkness,” following his performance of his own original song “Never Be Alone,” “Glory” by Common and John Legend and Beyoncé’s “I Was Here.”
He also performed with secondary runner-up Grace Kinstler on the reunion episode of “American Idol” in May.