‘American Idol’ alum Mandisa death at 47 follows life of struggles, faith, inspiration

American Idol

The passing of Mandisa, a former contestant on “American Idol,” has brought profound sorrow to her loved ones, friends, and supporters, while an investigation into the circumstances is currently ongoing. Authorities are “conducting an active death investigation stemming from a body that was discovered Thursday evening at a residence,” according to Max Wintz, the Public Information manager for the Franklin Police Department.

Mandisa Hundley

The Franklin, Tennessee, Police Department provided an update on X, said, “The Franklin Police Department is continuing to investigate the death of a woman found inside a Beamon Dr. residence. A medical examiner identified the deceased individual as Mandisa Hundley, 47.”

Criminal activity

The post continued, “At this time, there is no indication the death was the result of suspicious or criminal activity. The Franklin Police Department sends its condolences to Hundley’s family, friends, and fans,” it concluded. As Mandisa’s loved ones seek answers, her life and faith are being honored and remembered.

Fisk University

Mandisa, originally Mandisa Hundley from California, pursued her passion for music at Fisk University in Nashville, where she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in music in 2000. She was a member of the renowned Fisk University Jubilee Singers, as reported by The Tennessean.

Vocalist

Following her graduation, Mandisa worked as a session and backup vocalist for notable artists such as Trisha Yearwood and Shania Twain.

2005

In 2005, she auditioned for “American Idol” in Chicago and became a contestant in the show’s fifth season, competing alongside future stars like Katharine McPhee, Chris Daughtry, Kellie Pickler, and winner Taylor Hicks. Throughout the competition, Mandisa captivated audiences with her gospel vocals and unwavering Christian faith.

Criticism

Despite facing criticism from judge Simon Cowell about her weight during the show, Mandisa delivered a powerful and inspiring response.

Painful

“Simon, a lot of people want me to say a lot of things to you,” she said. “But this is what I want to say to you is that, yes, you hurt me, and I cried, and it was painful. It really was. But I want you to know that I’ve forgiven you and that you don’t need someone to apologize in order to forgive somebody. I figure that if Jesus could die so that all of my wrongs could be forgiven, I can certainly extend that same grace to you.”

Humbled

Cowell embraced her at once, expressing that he was “humbled.” In a CBN interview following her stint on the show, Mandisa reflected on the instance when she confronted Cowell and highlighted how her faith influenced her actions.

Tell him off

“It’s funny because the producers were setting me up,” she told the outlet. “As soon as we got there, we were all in a room, and the producers said, ‘This episode is all about reaction.’ Then the producers looked directly at me and said, ‘If Simon says something mean about you, you tell him off. You let him have it. They know that you’re going to tell them off, so you just say whatever you want to, and we can bleep out anything that is not TV-friendly.’ I just thought, ‘Oh, trust me. I’ve got some words for him.’ It’s not what they expected, but I did it because it was what the Lord wanted me to do.”

Placed ninth

She added, “I knew telling him that I forgave him would kind of disarm him, if you will, and that he would be graced. I didn’t know if he had ever felt that before.” Mandisa placed ninth on “American Idol,” and the show is preparing to honor her with a tribute next Monday.

Praised

In a statement, “American Idol” praised her, saying, “Mandisa was an adored icon on ‘American Idol’ and in the music industry. She had become a platinum-selling artist and had won several Grammys for her music. Her passing has left everyone on the show heartbroken, and we extend our deepest condolences to her family.”

Cowell’s remarks

While Mandisa bravely confronted Cowell’s remarks about her weight, she has acknowledged over time that her weight has been a long-standing struggle throughout her life.

Nightmare

“Food has always been a problem for me,” Mandisa told The Oklahoman in 2008. “When Simon first made the comments, it was a nightmare. But God turned it around. Those words became the impetus I needed to kick-start my plan to live a more healthful lifestyle and get my eating under control.”

Give everything

“The part of me that wanted to give everything to the dream of pursuing ‘American Idol’ was constantly kept in check by the hurt little girl who’s heard too many mean things in gym class,” she said in the interview.

Faith

As reported by The Oklahoman, in her book published in 2007, “Idoleyes: My New Perspective on Faith, Fat & Fame,” Mandisa wrote, “Instead of calling on the Lord to lift me, I kept dialing Papa John’s [pizza] in an effort to fill my needs.”

Crucial role

Speaking to the Denver Post, she mentioned that her faith played a crucial role in redirecting her focus towards her weight-loss journey, stating that “I had dieted before, I had lost weight. My faith taught me about obedience in the Lord, and I want my body to be a temple not a hindrance. And my weight has been a hindrance my whole life.”

Reliance on food

During her interview with CBN, she discussed how her reliance on food for comfort originated from her parents’ separation and her father’s departure.

My fault

“As a child I started to wonder if it was my fault,” Mandisa told the outlet. “Did I do something that made Dad leave? I was only 2 years old, but as I grew up, I just started questioning that sort of thing. I started feeling like I had to perform in order to warrant his love. At that point, I think I started wrestling with feelings of abandonment and – not having a father figure in my life – he is still a very big part of my life, just not right there with me. I just started turning to food in order to comfort.”

Forgiveness

Her emphasis was on forgiveness, expressing “When I realized that he was able to go on and live a very happy life, it was holding me back. I did not want my unforgiveness to have that effect on me, and I have learned that forgiveness is just as much for the person that is forgiving [than] for the person being forgiven.”

Assault

During the interview, she disclosed that she had experienced sexual assault during her teenage years, a traumatic event that exacerbated her food addiction.

Eat and eat

“When that happened at 16, it was like a floodgate opened. I started to eat and eat and eat. I think I was sort of shielding myself off from anybody else that could harm me,” she said.

Forgive the individual

Mandisa chose not to provide further details on the incident, but CBN reported that she was able to forgive the individual who assaulted her.

Contemplating

When contemplating forgiveness and the Cowell incident on “Good Morning America” in 2022, Mandisa expressed “It’s really more for the person forgiving than the person being forgiven. And it really set me free, and that’s a lesson I’ve taken away from my time on ‘American Idol’ ever since.”

True Beauty

Following her participation in “American Idol” in 2007, Mandisa launched her debut album, “True Beauty,” which achieved the remarkable feat of reaching No. 1 on the Top Christian Albums charts and No. 43 on the Billboard charts, a notable accomplishment for a Christian musician.

Nomination

The album “True Beauty” received a nomination for the best pop/contemporary gospel album category at the 2008 Grammys. Mandisa continued to receive recognition with two additional Grammy nominations for her albums “Freedom” and “What If We Were Real.”

Grammy win

In 2014, Mandisa secured a Grammy win for her album “Overcomer,” although she was not present at the awards ceremony. The following day, she clarified on her website that her absence was due to scheduling conflicts and concerns about facing criticism regarding her appearance.

Struggling

“I have been struggling with being in the world, not of it lately. I have fallen prey to the alluring pull of flesh, pride, and selfish desires quite a bit recently,” she wrote at the time.

Disappointed

“I don’t think I realized it at the time, but I was disappointed because I thought God tricked me,” she said. “I thought that He said one thing, and then I thought well maybe He didn’t, maybe I just can’t hear [Him.] So, I just shut Him out, I shut everybody out. I didn’t answer my phone, I didn’t respond to text messages. At one point, my pastor and another great friend of mine were banging on my door. I just completely ignored them because I didn’t want anything to do with Jesus or Jesus people. So, it was a really, really dark time for me.”

Grief

Mandisa shared that she sought solace in food as she navigated her grief, mentioning that she had been on a journey towards weight loss saying “ever since Simon made fun of me on national television.”

120 pounds

At the moment of her friend’s passing, Mandisa revealed that she had shed 120 pounds. However, she disclosed that she regained all the weight she had lost and an additional 75 pounds, leading to the onset of borderline suicidal thoughts during her period of depression.

The enemy

In her explanation, Mandisa described the negative messages she heard from what she referred to as “the enemy” was: “Jesus does not want you to be in this kind of pain. You are a child of God and there’s no way this is the abundant life he wanted you to live. So, if you were to take your life right now, you could be in Heaven with them.”

Heaven

Her faith in the assurance of being in Heaven was the factor that prevented her, however “He’s going to be the one to choose, it’s not going to be by my own hand.”