C.J. Harris, American Idol Alum, Dead at 31
Paul Dailly
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C.J. Harris, best known for appearing on American Idol, has died.
He was 31.
TMZ broke the news, revealing that Harris died Sunday after he was rushed to the Walker Baptist Medical Center in Jasper, Alabama.
CPR efforts were unsuccessful.
Jessica Meuse, a fellow American Idol alum, paid tribute to Harris on Instagram.
"Your talent and smile will be missed, and the world is definitely a darker and eerily quieter place without you in it," she wrote in the tribute.
"When you go through something like Idol together, it brings everyone involved together like a big, weird, dysfunctional family," Meuse added.
"I'm grateful that our paths crossed and that I can say you were (and always will be) a part of mine."
"There are a lot of things I realize I will never understand — you leaving us so soon is one of those things."
"Rest easy, friend. See you on the other side," the tribute concluded.
Harris appeared on American Idol Season 13, when it aired on FOX.
He sang for judges Keith Urban, Jennifer Lopez, and Harry Connick Jr during his audition.
That wasn't the first time he tried to audition for the reality series.
Harris revealed in 2014 to The Hollywood Reporter that he didn't make it past the first round in 2010.
"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.
"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 added.
"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."
Harris shared on his Facebook page that new music was "coming soon."
Paul Dailly was an Associate Editor for TV Fanatic.Follow him on X.
