The cause of death for C.J. Harris has been confirmed.
The “American Idol” alum died of a heart attack at 8:53 p.m. on Jan. 15 in Jasper, Ala., Walker County deputy coroner Danielle Calloway told E! Information. He was 31.
The Walker County coroner experienced formerly informed E! Information that Harris’ dying appeared “natural” with no symptoms of evidence exhibiting foul enjoy.
Harris appeared on the 13th season of “American Idol” in 2014, wowing the judges — who at the time were Harry Connick Jr., Jennifer Lopez and Keith City — with his rendition of Allman Brothers Band’s “Soulshine” during Salt Lake City auditions. His talents took him to the leading 10, with his notable performances like covers of The Marshall Tucker Band’s “Won’t be able to You See” and John Mayer’s “Gravity.”
Soon after news of his passing, members of the “American Idol” family compensated tribute to the singer, who completed in sixth put that time.
“C.J. Harris was an extraordinary expertise, and the news of his passing deeply saddens us,” American Idol tweeted on Jan. 16. “He will be really skipped.”
Year 13 winner Caleb Johnson said he formed “so a lot of astounding recollections and experiences” with Harris, including, “Everyday living is so fragile!”
“This hurts so considerably,” Johnson wrote on Instagram Jan. 16. “CJ was my roommate on @americanidol throughout Hollywood week and then lived proper upcoming doorway to me and @realalexpreston in the course of the are living exhibits. We right away turned good friends and fashioned a brotherhood pack,” together with contestants Alex Preston and Sam Woolf.
Jess Meuse, who completed in fourth location, said she felt “totally stunned.”
“Your expertise and smile will be missed, and the globe is definitely a darker and eerily quieter area without the need of you in it,” she stated on Instagram Jan. 16. “I am going to miss out on your random cellphone phone calls inquiring for lifestyle suggestions and conversing about the songs planet. When you go by means of some thing like Idol together, it provides everybody associated together like a huge, unusual, dysfunctional family.”
Ahead of landing a location in the 13th year of “American Idol,” Harris auditioned in 2010 but “in no way produced it previous the initially round,” he informed the Hollywood Reporter in 2014. He also utilized for “The X-Aspect” and “The Voice,” even though he mentioned he “by no means received by way of, and it harm me.”
Yet, Harris was passionate about pursuing his aspiration.
“I was generally on the world-wide-web, hoping to find a crack, searching for which producers I could ship my stuff to,” he mentioned. “I searched for “American Idol” and I noticed they have been accomplishing the bus tour and they ended up going to be 30 minutes down the road from me. I stated, ‘You know what? I’m going to give it a further probability. I have gotten so a great deal much better, my voice has matured and my participating in has gotten so considerably far better.”
