She stole the hearts of American Idol fans everywhere when she killed Simon Cowell with kindness.
Mandisa Hundley may not have won American Idol when she appeared on the show’s fifth season, but her charisma and general kindness earned her a huge following after she left the show.
Unfortunately, according to K-Love, a Christian radio station, Mandisa died on Thursday, April 18, 2024.
RELATED: Breaking: OJ Simpson Dead at 76
She was at home in Nashville, Tennessee, when she passed.
The cause of her death is currently unknown.
RELATED: General Hospital Star Robyn Bernard Found Dead
Mandisa’s Stardom Before American Idol
Mandisa was a strong competitor on American Idol back in 2006, but she was already an accomplished singer before then.
She was once part of the Fisk Jubilee Singers, which is a coveted singing group at Nashville’s Fisk University.
The group is famously selective about whom it allows in.
With her singing skills already sharp, Mandisa quickly advanced each week during her time on American Idol.
However, she really caught the audience’s attention after a moment shared with Simon.
Following an incredible audition that sold the judges immediately, Simon made a comment about Mandisa’s weight.
RELATED: Luke Bryan Mocked by American Idol Contestant
While some people may have become understandably angry or ignored the comment, Mandisa did something different.
Her attitude about the joke won the audience to her side immediately.
While on stage, Mandisa told Simon that his comment had hurt her.
She cried over his comment because it was painful, but she forgave him all the same.
Mandisa said that even though Simon never apologized for his comment, she still forgave him because she didn’t need someone to apologize to her to forgive them.
It was with that sort of kindness and open heart that Mandisa grew a huge audience of her own.
Even though she came in ninth on American Idol, she’d go on to have a successful music career, especially in the genre of Christian music.
As a devout Christian herself, Mandisa used her platform to talk about God, her personal struggles, and the healing that her faith gave her.
She put out five albums, including a Christmas album, with her album Overcomer even earning her a Grammy for Best Contemporary Christian Music Album.
Mandisa Opened Up About Depression and Being Sexually Assaulted
While Mandisa found success, she also had her share of struggles.
In her memoir, Out of the Dark, Mandisa revealed that she had been sexually assaulted in her youth.
The crime really impacted her mental health, which led to serious depression.
The depression became so bad that Mandisa even once tried to harm herself.
Her friends stopped her before it was too late and staged an intervention.
They helped her get into therapy, which she said she never wanted to do, but she really needed to do.
Mandisa was amazed at how therapy changed her.
During an interview with Good Morning America, Mandisa also said that her faith and dog helped her live through her depression.
Even though Mandisa had demons of her own, she’d go on to make music with other well-known stars like TobyMac.
He said that Mandisa was the most authentic person he knew and that she always made his tours better due to her care for the crew and other artists on stage.
She was 47 years old.
