There’s heartbreaking news for American Idol fans today, as alum C.J. Harris, who made it all the way to sixth place on season 13, has died suddenly. He was only 31 years old.
C.J., who was a father of two, was determined to find success as a singer, and the story of how he finally made it to Idol is inspirational.
TMZ was the first to break the news of C.J.'s untimely death, and People confirmed with an Alabama coroner that he had been rushed to a hospital on Sunday. Even with CPR, medical teams were unable to save him.
Jessica Meuse, a singer who competed alongside Harris on the show in 2014, shared a moving tribute with fans after his death was confirmed.
"Your talent and smile will be missed, and the world is definitely a darker and eerily quieter place without you in it," she wrote. "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."
C.J. was known for the beautiful rendition of the Allman Brothers hit “Soulshine” that he auditioned with in front of judges Keith Urban, Jennifer Lopez, and Harry Connick Jr. in the Salt Lake City episode of season 13. His charm and skilled vocal chops secured him three votes for Hollywood.
He would make it all the way to sixth place of the show that year and had some memorable performances of hits, including "Can't You See" by the Marshall Tucker Band and "If It Hadn't Been for Love" by the SteelDrivers.
After getting his break on the show, C.J. found more success in the country music scene, singing beside Darius Rucker at the Grand Ole Opry and releasing a single in 2019.
He was also a regular participant on the musical side of Instagram and TikTok, and he recently told his followers that he was working on new projects.
On January 1, he wished fans a Happy New Year and shared that he had "new music coming soon."
His story is one of determination and perseverance. C.J. had actually auditioned for Idol four years before making it on the show. When he first auditioned, he didn’t even make it past the first round.
But that didn’t stop him from trying again.
He told The Hollywood Reporter that in addition to his unsuccessful audition for Idol, he also tried out for The X Factor and The Voice but didn’t get the opportunity to perform on those shows, either.
"I was always on the internet, trying to find a break, looking for which producers I could send my stuff to," he told the outlet in an interview back when he was on the show.
"I searched for American Idol and I saw they were doing the bus tour and they were going to be 30 minutes down the road from me," he recalled.
"I said, 'You know what? I'm going to give it another chance. I've gotten so much better, my voice has matured and my playing has gotten so much better.'"
The fourth time was the charm in his case, and C.J. was finally able to show the world what he could do with music.