CJ Harris, a featured contestant on the 13th season of American Idoldied Sunday night in Jasper, Ala. He is 31 years old.
The Walker County Coroner’s Office confirmed the singer was taken to Walker Baptist Medical Center following cardiac arrest. At this point, they believe his cause of death may have been a heart attack.
Harris, born January 28, 1991, auditioned in Salt Lake City for his season on the singing competition show. After singing “Soulshine” by The Allman Brothers, all three judges on the panel, including Keith Urban, Jennifer Lopez and Harry Connick Jr., voted “yes”, sending him through to the next round.
In 2014, the singer told hollywood reporter that his grandfather was the part that inspired him to get into music. “When I was a little older, my grandfather gave me a guitar,” he said. “He has one in the barn and it has three ropes. He said I don’t need to buy a whole new set of strings. So I’m going to tune it in such a way that when I pluck it, it sounds like it’s on a certain key. I found different sounds. I just love music so I really try to find a sound that I really like and just play it. I know it’s weird, but that’s what I do.”
Growing up, he was influenced by Usher and Keith Sweat, saying, “In high school, I liked country music, blues, and rock music.” He also added that “Darius Rucker has really influenced me in so many ways.”
The singer finished in sixth place on American Idol. After the show, he went on to release his debut single, “In Love,” in 2019.
