TV Talent Show Contestants Who Died Tragically

Each decade seems to have its definitive and extremely popular television format. In the '70s, it was variety shows, in the '80s, it was family sitcoms, and in the 2000s and beyond, it's been televised talent shows. There's just something irresistible and overwhelmingly exciting about seeing an unknown, undiscovered, gifted, and trained individual get in front of a panel of judges (and some TV cameras and stage lights) and sing their hearts out like they were already pop, rock, or Broadway legends.

Programs like "American Idol," "The Voice," and "America's Got Talent" coronate new stars with regularity while also sending a number of worthy runners-up into the spotlight. And like any other celebrity of any other stripe, it's difficult to fathom their deaths — they're so preternaturally talented, so larger than life, but, sadly, they're mere mortals like everyone else. Here are some people who shined brightly on a TV talent show to the delight of millions and whose deaths may have flown under your radar.

As one of the first breakout talents in the 1st season of "The Voice" in 2011, folky, bluesy, rock n' roll singer Beverly McClellan helped make the show a hit. Her passionate performance of Janis Joplin's "Piece of My Heart" in her audition earned the interest of judges Adam Levine and Christina Aguilera; she opted to join the latter's team and made it all the way to the final four of the competition. After "The Voice," McClellan scored a couple of minor hits with "Lovesick" and "The Thrill is Gone."

According to a GoFundMe medical costs fundraising page, doctors diagnosed McClellan with stage 3 endometrial cancer in March 2018. The disease metastasized, spreading to her colon, bladder, and intestines. While hospitalized for treatment, McClellan died on October 30, 2018, at 49 years old.

Janice Freeman was a formidable competitor and talented singer, evident from her debut performance on "The Voice" in 2017. Freeman got two judges to turn around and extend an offer to join their team — Miley Cyrus and Jennifer Hudson were both wowed by her stirring cover of Imagine Dragons' "Radioactive" as her blind audition piece. Freeman went with Cyrus, and she proved adept at a number of styles, performing songs by Etta James, Brandi Carlile, and Collective Soul. She made it all the way to the top 11 before elimination.

Freeman discussed her health history during her time on "The Voice," which included a cervical cancer diagnosis in 2012 and living with the chronic condition lupus. According to a tweet from her family on her account, Freeman was rushed to a hospital after collapsing at home. Following severe pneumonia and a blood clot that had lodged in her heart, Freeman died at the age of 33 in 2019.

Already a YouTube star as a teenager thanks to her powerful covers of Miley Cyrus songs, Christina Grimmie made one of the most auspicious debuts in the history of "The Voice." She auditioned with Cyrus' "Wrecking Ball," earning a chair "turnaround" from all four of the show's celebrity panelists, who all wanted Grimmie on their team. The singer ultimately finished in third place but still became one of the most successful acts to emerge from "The Voice," scoring hit singles, landing a recording contract, and winning iHeartRadio's Rising Star competition.

On June 10, 2016, Grimmie played a concert in Orlando, and during a meet-and-greet after the show, a man approached and fired a gun at her. It was Kevin Loibl, a fan fixated on Grimmie who told co-workers he knew her and insisted that he'd one day marry the singer. Grimmie's brother jumped atop Loibl, who broke free and shot himself, dying by suicide. Hours later, Grimmie died from injuries suffered in the attack. She was 22.

Unlike most other TV talent shows, "America's Got Talent" opens its stage and star-making machinery to more than just belters and divas. In Season 4, the series welcomed Jay Jay Phillips, who represented a throwback to the late '80s in both presentation and talent. With towering and teased-out hair and flamboyant costumes, he played glam metal on a keyboard draped around his neck. Despite his infectious charisma and undeniable musicianship, Phillips was quickly eliminated from contention, but he returned to "America's Got Talent" eight years later, where he didn't make it past the quarterfinals.

Outside of his solo stints on "America's Got Talent," Phillips played with the band Mettal Maffia. On November 30, 2021, the group's Instagram account broke the news that Phillips had died. "It is with great sadness we inform you all of the loss of our bandmate/brother/and friend," the statement read. "It still doesn't feel real." Phillips' friend, Seph Lawless, told TheWrap that five days prior, the musician's girlfriend discovered him unresponsive and that he died in his sleep at home following a COVID-19 diagnosis. Phillips was 30.

Tremendously gifted and boasting a high-level stage presence, Skilyr Hicks auditioned for Season 8 of "America's Got Talent" at age 14. She sang and played guitar, performing an original, gut-wrenching piece about the death of her estranged father, which she wrote herself. Demonstrably moved, the judges moved Hicks along to the next round, where she sang another self-penned song, "Second Chance." Hicks didn't advance any further on "America's Got Talent," but she made headlines after her time on the show for personal and criminal issues — she was arrested on domestic violence charges in 2017 and underage drinking in 2018.

On December 6, 2021, Hicks was discovered lifeless and unresponsive in the home of a friend, unnamed in reports. Chief Deputy Chad Brooks of the Pickens County Sheriff's Office told TMZ that authorities believe Hicks likely died of a drug overdose, as her body was discovered on a bathroom floor with narcotics and paraphernalia nearby. Hicks was 23.

Unlike the pop-centric "American Idol," judges and audiences for "America's Got Talent" can expect a wider range of vocal talent. Take, for example, Neal E. Boyd, the winner of the competition series' 3rd season in 2008 on the strength of his impressive, resonant, classical and operatic-style singing. In the wake of his victory (and $1 million prize windfall), Boyd released "My American Dream" in 2009, which reached No. 3 on Billboard's classical chart and included the singer's take on classic arias, patriotic songs, and show tunes. Boyd performed "God Bless the USA" at the 2012 Republican National Convention and later unsuccessfully ran for a seat in the Missouri state congress.

Boyd died at his mother's home in Sikeston, Missouri, on June 10, 2018. Per a Facebook fundraising request posted a few weeks earlier, Boyd was in a physical therapy program to help him recover from a serious January 2017 car accident that nearly ended his life. Per a coroner's office report, Boyd died from a combination of liver problems, kidney failure, and heart failure. He was 42.

When he decided to audition for the 2017 season of "America's Got Talent," 29-year-old Brandon Rogers had a successful day job going — he was a doctor, finishing up his residency in family practice at Riverside Brentwood Medical Center in Newport News, Virginia. But he still didn't want to completely shut the door on pursuing his other love, singing, so he gave the televised competition a try. Dr. Rogers earned raves (and a standing ovation) from all four judges for his audition piece, Stevie Wonder's "Ribbon in the Sky." Simon Cowell said he had a "stunning" voice, and Howie Mandel commented on his "control and passion." 

He easily earned a pass to continue in the competition, but Rogers wouldn't get the chance to see it through. After his audition, but before he could return to "America's Got Talent" to tape any more episodes, Rogers resumed his studies and medical work in Virginia, and in the early morning hours of June 10, 2017, he was riding as a passenger in a car when the driver fell asleep at the wheel and struck a tree. Rogers died the next day from internal injuries suffered in the accident. He was 29.

Even in the original season of "American Idol," which quietly debuted as a Fox summer replacement series in 2002, some contestants bristled against the pop and adult contemporary styles the show heavily pursued. Nicki McKibbin was the first successful non-pop singer in "American Idol," winning a large contingent of voters with her rock-meets-soul-oriented covers of rock songs made famous by legendary female artists, like "Piece of My Heart," "Black Velvet," and "Edge of Seventeen." Visually striking for her loud fashions and brightly dyed hair, McKibbin almost won the whole thing, finishing in third place behind Kelly Clarkson and Justin Guarini (who later acted in a Dr. Pepper & Cream Soda commercial). After parting ways with Sony Music over creative differences, McKibbin released her debut record, "Unleashed," on indie label Chenoa Music in 2007.

According to an October 31, 2020 Facebook post by McKibbin's husband, Craig Sadler, the singer suffered a brain aneurysm. Doctors saw zero chance of recovery, but they kept McKibbin on life support machines so as to prepare her organs for donation, per the pop star's documented wishes. Four days later, McKibbin was taken off life support, and she died soon after. McKibbin was 42.

Seattle singer Leah Vladowski successfully auditioned for the 3rd season of "American Idol" in 2004. She quickly advanced through the early rounds with her smooth and soulful covers of Whitney Houston, Al Green, and the Supremes songs, ultimately landing as a finalist in the top 12. But that's as far as Vladowski, rebranded as Leah LaBelle, could get — she was eliminated after receiving the least number of votes after singing the Supremes' "You Keep Me Hangin' On." After the show, LaBelle signed to So So Def Recordings and recorded and released several singles and a 2012 sampler with production from Jermaine Dupri and Pharrell Williams.

At around 2:30 a.m. on January 31, 2018, LaBelle was riding in the passenger seat of a Range Rover driven by her husband, retired NBA player Rasual Butler, when he lost control of the vehicle. It ran through parking meters and a wall at a high speed — as much as three times above the speed limit — before coming to a stop. Los Angeles Police pronounced Butler and LaBelle dead at the scene. The singer was 31.

Rickey Smith once compared his velvety vocals to that of R&B star Brian McKnight. That might sound bold, but he backed up the claim by making it into the final round of the 2nd season of "American Idol" in 2003 by singing McKnight's "One Last Cry." After advancing through the competition with performances of songs by Earth, Wind & Fire and Lionel Richie, he ultimately finished in eighth place, behind the likes of Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken. Following his elimination, Smith remained in Los Angeles for a couple of years and nearly recorded an album, but when it didn't pan out, he returned to his hometown of Oklahoma City.

In the early morning hours of May 6, 2016, Smith was driving eastbound on I-240 outside Oklahoma City. His vehicle was struck at a high speed by Gerardo Cerda Jr., driving a pickup truck in the wrong direction. Smith was pronounced dead on the scene, suffering multiple blunt force impact injuries, per the Oklahoma Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. Smith was 36.

Joanne Borgella wasn't just an aspiring pop and R&B singer — she had a knack for parlaying her talents and abilities into doing well on TV reality shows that would help her advance her career. In 2005, she won the 1st season of the televised plus-size beauty pageant and modeling contest "Mo'Nique's Fat Chance," and she later signed with Wilhelmina Models. Borgella sang, too, and she made it to the top 24 of "American Idol" in its 7th season in 2008. She performed Dionne Warwick's "I Say a Little Prayer" but was subsequently eliminated.

Borgella was diagnosed with endometrial cancer in 2013, which spread to her chest. She underwent multiple radiation treatments, one as late as fall 2014, but they didn't effectively stop the disease. Per a Facebook post from Borgella's family, the singer died on October 18, 2014. She was 32.

Born and raised in Perth, Australia, Michael Johns aspired to be a professional tennis player before he discovered music at age 15 and decided to be a singer. After moving to the United States, he played solo gigs and joined a band, then under his real name, Michael Lee. He signed with Maverick Records, which didn't release his album until after he made it to "American Idol" for its 7th season in 2008. At the time of his audition, he was 29, the oldest a contestant could be under the show's bylaws. Johns finished in eighth place and thereafter resumed his recording career.

Johns died in Orange County, California, on August 1, 2014. Reports initially claimed that a blood clot in the singer's ankle, caused by a leg injury, led to his death. The official report from the Orange County Coroner's Office cited the cause of death as dilated cardiomyopathy, of which the fatal symptoms are improper blood flow and an enlarged heart. Johns was 35.

Country music singer Thomas Wells made the rounds of TV's talent show circuit in the 2010s, competing on "America's Got Talent," "The Voice," "The Winner Is," and, most prominently, the American version of Simon Cowell's group-leaning sing-off "The X Factor." Successfully auditioning in Dallas in 2011, he made it moderately far in the competition, all the way to the "bootcamp" round before his elimination, according to TalentRecap.

After his many musical TV appearances, Wells moved to Oklahoma and took a job working on the line at a tire manufacturing facility. In November 2021, Wells got caught in a conveyor belt-style machine, and he sustained severe injuries. He was sent to a hospital in Idabel, Oklahoma, before being airlifted to a larger facility in Tyler, Texas, in an attempt to save his life. Ultimately, though, he couldn't survive his injuries. Wells was 46.

In addition to singing, Freddie Combs was a minister, and in 2012, he auditioned for the 2nd season of Fox's "The X Factor" by singing an inspirational, secular hymn: Bette Midler's "Wind Beneath My Wings," which he dedicated to his wife, Kay Combs. His tremendous performance moved the studio audience to a standing ovation, and judges Simon Cowell and L.A. Reid offered their support to help Combs in his weight-loss pursuits, although he didn't make it past the next round of competition.

At the time that he competed on "The X Factor," Combs was coming off a dramatic weight loss program, having shed nearly 400 pounds, as documented on the TLC reality show "Ton of Love." He still lived with health issues, and he performed with the use of a wheelchair. On September 10, 2021, Combs died in a Florida hospital after suffering kidney failure. He was 49.

With a powerful, gospel-influenced voice, Mandisa made it to the Season 5 finals of "American Idol" in 2006. She wowed judges and viewers by belting out the likes of Chaka Khan's "I'm Every Woman" and Heart's "Never" but was voted out in ninth place after her take on Shania Twain's "Any Man of Mine" failed to impress. That didn't matter much, because the exposure on "American Idol" was just the boost Mandisa needed to become a superstar in contemporary Christian music. She topped Billboard's Christian albums chart with three separate releases, and "Overcomer" rested at No. 1 on the singles chart for 10 weeks. Mandisa even won the 2014 Grammy Award for best contemporary Christian music album.

Mandisa was discovered dead at her Nashville home on April 18, 2024, at the age of 47. The death was puzzling enough for the Franklin Police Department to open an investigation, immediately ruling out any criminal or external forces. An autopsy completed more than two months later cited complications of class III obesity as the cause.

Powered by a dynamic performance of the Allman Brothers Band's "Soulshine" during his Salt Lake City audition, C.J. Harris won himself a spot in the Hollywood round of Season 13 of "American Idol" in 2014. Nearly eliminated early, viewers voted to advance him with a wild card slot, and on a handful of live performance episodes, the singer continued to bring a soulful take on well-known rock songs like Tom Petty's "Free Fallin'" and the Guess Who's "American Woman." Harris wound up in sixth place for the season, but he went on to begin releasing music in 2019.

Harris eventually returned to his hometown of Jasper, Alabama, which is where he experienced an undisclosed medical problem in January 2023. Treated on an emergency basis at a local hospital, he didn't survive the ordeal and was pronounced dead. Days later, Harris' cause of death was made known: a heart attack. The musician was 31.

Haley Smith got a ticket to the Hollywood round at the start of the 2012 season of "American Idol." At her audition, her playful charisma shone through on a folk-inflected performance of Rufus' "Tell Me Something Good." Judge Steven Tyler in particular advocated for Smith, telling the singer (via People), "I love your voice so much. You're right out of my era, and I'm honored to be here listening to your voice." Smith didn't move any farther into the contest, though, as she was sent home before the top 12 finalists were named.

While Smith was by all accounts a seasoned motorcycle rider, she was involved in a deadly accident in Millinocket, Maine, in August 2019. Authorities suspect that Smith lost control and crashed after a tricky turn, while her family believes she was trying to evade an animal on the road. She died from her injuries at 26 years old.

Perhaps the most notorious and mean-spirited element of "American Idol" is the early-season montages of auditions declared poor or ridiculous. In 2007, Alexis Cohen's Philadelphia tryout appeared in one of those clip packages. She performed Jefferson Airplane's "Somebody to Love," and judge Simon Cowell commented on what he considered an off-putting personality and a resemblance to character actor Willem Dafoe. An understandably upset Cohen labeled Cowell an "egotistical f***" and displayed the middle finger at the TV cameras (per ABC News). Two years later, Cohen auditioned for "American Idol" again but didn't move past her tryout.

Just months after Cohen turned out her second and final "American Idol" appearance, she died in a July 2009 traffic accident. While driving in Seaside Heights, New Jersey, Cohen was the victim of a hit-and-run, and her body was thrown more than 1,000 feet from her parked vehicle. A suspect was arrested and charged in Cohen's death, and he later took a plea deal and was sentenced to 364 days in jail. An autopsy showed Cohen died from severe injuries to the chest, abdomen, and head. The singer was 25.

Marque "Tate" Lynche auditioned for a spot on "American Idol" in 2004, bringing a bit more experience to the table than the usual group of unknown, amateur musicians. A decade before the de facto start of a solo career in earnest, or a potentially major second act, Lynche had been part of the early 1990s cast of the Disney Channel's "The All New Mickey Mouse Club." Something of a star factory, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Keri Russell, and Ryan Gosling were among the singers, dancers, and sketch actors who appeared on the after-school variety show. The "American Idol" boost didn't last — Lynche made it to the round of 32 but was cut from the competition just before the 12 finalists were selected.

Lynche's roommate arrived at their shared residence on December 6, 2015, and they discovered the singer unconscious and unresponsive. Medical authorities arrived on the scene and pronounced Lynche dead at the age of 34. In early 2016, the New York City Chief Medical Examiner publicly revealed the results of an autopsy, which determined that Lynche died from complications of chronic alcoholism.

Willie Spence was a musical star on the rise even before he got his big break on "American Idol" in 2021. As a high school student, he made YouTube videos of himself singing, and his performance of Rihanna's "Diamonds" was heavily shared, generating more than 30 million views. Judges and then viewers sent Spence through every early round and performance week, and he was a favorite to win the entire 2019 season. The singer finished in second place behind Chayce Beckham.

Spence was driving on Interstate 24 in Tennessee one day in October 2022 when he lost control of his Jeep and hit the back of a semi-truck that had pulled over onto the shoulder of the highway. Authorities pronounced him dead on the scene, with the Marion County medical examiner's office ruling accident-caused multisystem trauma as the official cause of death. Spence was 23 years old.

At age 17, aspiring comic Ralphie May bested other comedians and won the right to be the opening act for acerbic '80s comic Sam Kinison. Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, May was one of the hardest-touring stand-up comics in the country while also landing bit parts in movies. In 2003, he reached a new kind of fame when he starred on the 1st season of the comedy contest "Last Comic Standing." Rapidly and easily advancing week after week, May surprisingly finished as the runner-up, second only to Dat Phan. May returned to comedy, recording multiple specials and playing for big crowds.

After being diagnosed with pneumonia in 2017, May called off a series of dates in a stand-up residency to allow for recovery. In October of that year, he was found deceased at a home in Las Vegas. Medical officials believed that May suffered a cardiac arrest, while an autopsy later determined that hypertensive cardiovascular disease killed the comedian. He was 45.

A tough-guy stand-up comedian who arrived at the art form in his 30s, Mike DeStefano experienced heroin addiction for years before he found sobriety, became a drug rehabilitation counselor, and started adding jokes and funny personal stories to his speeches for patients. That turned into a brutally confessional comedy act, and by the 2000s, DeStefano was a hit at New York clubs, on the comedy festival circuit, and on syndicated morning radio shows. DeStefano was awarded a Comedy Central special, performed on late-night TV, and in the summer of 2010, he was a finalist on NBC's stand-up competition show "Last Comic Standing." He finished in fifth place.

On March 6, 2011, DeStefano's lawyer confirmed to the media that the comedian had died in the Bronx. An associate of the family stated that DeStefano, who was HIV positive and 11 years in recovery for heroin addiction, died from a massive heart attack at the age of 44.

Alice Tan Ridley first sang publicly at the age of 3 but put her aspirations on hold to start a family (including her Oscar-nominated daughter Gabourey Sidibe) and to be a special needs teacher in New York City. In the 1980s, she carved out her own performance space, singing in New York subway stations for money. She was so successful that she started busking full time in the early 1990s. Ridley was so well known among New York's many commuters that in 2010, she was profiled on "Good Morning America" and in the New York Post. In 2002, Ridley won the short-lived Fox talent competition show "30 Seconds to Fame," and eight years later, she finished in the semifinals in the 5th season of "America's Got Talent."

According to an obituary posted online by Georgia-based Sconiers Funeral Home, Alice Ann "Tan" Ridley Sidibe died on March 25, 2025, in New York City, with members of her family present. No cause of death was reported. The New York institution was 72 years old.

Born in the U.S. and raised for a period in India, Kabir Singh (also known by the nickname Kabeezy) could perform stand-up comedy in three languages. That led to appearances on major performance shows like "StaannDUP!", "Gabriel Iglesias Presents Stand-Up Revolution," "Unprotected Sets," and his own headlining special, "Retiring Material." But his most high-profile credit was "America's Got Talent." In 2021, all four judges liked his audition routine, and he made it to the semifinals before he was finally sent home.

Singh continued to perform stand-up through November 2024, despite dealing with a series of health problems not revealed to the general public. According to his fiancée, on December 4, 2024, while in Pleasanton, California, he didn't wake up, and it was determined he died sometime in the night. Pending a toxicology report and other tests, authorities and relatives believe that natural causes were to blame, specifically congenital heart disease, which the comedian had received surgery to treat in the past. Singh was 39.

"America's Got Talent" provided exposure to entertainers who may not have otherwise made it onto national television, such as stand-up comedians who got their start late in life. That describes Grandma Lee. After her husband's death in 1995, the seventy-something Grandma Lee started taking comedy classes in Oklahoma City and became a road comic. In 2009, she brought her blunt, deadpan comedic style to "America's Got Talent," where she became a fan favorite and finished in the top 10.

Grandma Lee's real name was Francis Lee Strong, and she regularly performed stand-up in the decade after her star-making run on "America's Got Talent." In November 2019, Strong endured a fall in a hotel room in Tampa that resulted in a broken hip. She never fully recovered, and her health declined. Grandma Lee died in a Jacksonville, Florida, assisted living facility in April 2020. The comedian was 85 years old.

In one of the more successful band replacements ever, popular 2000s sleaze-rock band Hinder lost its original lead singer, and for a while in the mid-2010s, it employed Nashville-based country and rock singer Nolan Neal as its frontman. The arrangement didn't work out, but Neal went on to find more opportunities to sing professionally on television. In 2016, he made it to the televised audition rounds of "The Voice," and his cover of Incubus's "Drive" landed him a spot on mentor Adam Levine's team. Eliminated in an early knockout rounds, Neal resurfaced on reality TV four years later, trying out for Season 15 of "America's Got Talent." This time, he sang an original tune, "Lost," and he made it to the quarterfinals before he was knocked out in the "Judge's Choice" cull.

In July 2022, Neal was discovered dead in his bedroom by his roommate. Investigators found an object laced with what seemed to be drug residue. Neal had discussed his ongoing issues with substance abuse sustained during and after his time as a reality TV star. Months later, a Davidson County Medical Examiner autopsy indicated that the 41-year-old singer had died of acute combined drug toxicity, falling to the combined effects of morphine, fentanyl, and methamphetamine.

"America's Got Talent" and "Penn and Teller: Fool Us" are just about the only TV talent competition shows where a professional magician can build up a following and hone their skills in front of a big home viewership. Scott Alexander made it onto both highly selective series, first dazzling the "America's Got Talent" judges in 2011 with a trick that featured a magically appearing assistant who then floated in the air. He breezed into additional rounds and made it to the quarterfinals. About a year later, Alexander reemerged on the more comically oriented "Penn and Teller: Fool Us," in which he moved through solid bars.

Alexander's reality show work made him one of the most famous working magicians out there, and he regularly performed for audiences on cruise ships. It was while he was booked as the on-ship entertainment on a voyage out of St. Kitts in February 2023 that Alexander sustained a stroke so serious that he couldn't recover. The magician was 52.

Singer-songwriter Jane Marczewski sometimes performed under the name "Nightbirde," and she made a major impression at the beginning of Season 16 of "America's Got Talent." For her theatrical audition piece, she sang an original composition, a ballad called "It's Okay." Directly addressing Marczewski's tumultuous history with breast cancer, the performance so moved the judges — Simon Cowell in particular — that she was immediately advanced to the next round after he pressed the "Golden Buzzer."

In August 2021, Marczewski took herself out of the competition on "America's Got Talent" when her health deteriorated to the point where it was no longer possible for her to perform live. "Life doesn't always give breaks to those that deserve it," she wrote on an Instagram announcement of the news. Six months later, and more than four years after first receiving a cancer diagnosis, Marczewski died at the age of 31. "Nightbirde was such a bright inspirational light in all our lives," judge Howie Mandel wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. "We must continue to live and learn from her words and lyrics."

Back in 2008, Texas dancer Joshua Allen tried out to compete on Season 4 of Fox's "So You Think You Can Dance." With a naturally athletic and breakdancing-inspired style, he proved more than capable of whatever challenges the show presented, as he could dance in an array of disparate styles. At the season's end, Allen was declared the champion. Thrust to the top of the dance world, he got the chance to demonstrate his abilities in high-profile gigs such as the movies "Freak Dance," "Step Up 3D," the 2011 remake of "Footloose," and in TV commercials.

In the early morning hours of September 30, 2025, police in Tarrant County, Texas, answered a report of a potential human casualty where an automotive intersection met a railroad crossing. They discovered Allen, unresponsive and badly hurt, and rushed him to a local hospital, where he died. He was 36 years old.

The reality competition TV craze of the 2000s made a contest out of most every art and skill, including the varied world of dance. Gifted performers showed off their foot and body work on programs like "So You Think You Can Dance" on the way to securing work on Broadway and in music videos. One of the show's first big success stories was Danny Tidwell, who made it almost all the way to the end of the Fox program's 3rd season in 2007. A modern and contemporary style dancer, Tidwell ultimately finished as the runner-up.

In March 2020, another second-place "So You Think You Can Dance" competitor, Travis Wall, announced on his Instagram page that Tidwell, his brother, had died the previous day from injuries sustained in a car accident. He was 35 years old. Dance legend and "So You Think You Can Dance" judge Debbie Allen remembered Tidwell on X, formerly known as Twitter, as a "beautiful dancing genius."

If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org.