‘American Idol’ Alum C.J. Harris Dies At 31

C.J. Harris, the musician who competed on Season 13 of American Idol, has died at 31 years old.

He went into cardiac arrest Sunday and was taken to a hospital in his hometown of Jasper, Alabama. He was pronounced dead just before 9 p.m., as confirmed by the Walker County Coroner’s Office.

The official American Idol Instagram account wrote on its story Monday, “C.J. Harris was an incredible talent and the news of his passing deeply saddens us.”

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During his time on the show in 2014, Harris was known for his soulful rock and country covers. He auditioned with a rendition of “Soulshine” by the Allman Brothers which he dedicated to his father. He made it to the semi-finals with acclaim from the judges and viewers as an authentic and charismatic guy.

Harris said in a 2014 interview that his mother and grandfather inspired his love of music.

“I was six years old and my mom was in prison,” he told the Hollywood Reporter.” She would sing to me over the phone and tears would just flow out of my eyes. When I was a little older, my granddad gave me a guitar. He had one in the shed and it had three strings on it. He said I didn’t need to buy a whole new set of strings. So I would tune it in a way that when I strummed it, it sounded like it’s in a key of whatever. I find different sounds.”

After his elimination from Idol, he sang with Darius Rucker at the Grand Ole Opry in 2014 and released his debut single, “In Love” in 2019. He regularly posted his music endeavors to TikTok and Instagram.

One of his fellow Idol contestants, Jessica Meuse, remembered Harris in an Instagram post.

“Your talent and smile will be missed, and the world is definitely a darker and eerily quieter place without you in it,” she said. “I’m grateful that our paths crossed and I can say you were (and always will be) a part of mine.”