Mandisa Lynn Hundley, better known as just Mandisa, died at her home in Nashville, Tennessee, on Thursday (April 18) at the age of 47.
She was a Grammy Award-winning Christian artist and a two-time recipient of the K-LOVE Fan Award.
A representative for Mandisa told ChurchLeaders, “We can confirm that yesterday Mandisa was found in her home deceased. At this time, we do not know the cause of death or any further details. We ask for your prayers for her family and close-knit circle of friends during this incredibly difficult time.”
Mandisa first became a household name after she competed on Season 5 of “American Idol.” She finished in ninth place after surviving Judge Simon Cowell’s critique of her weight after her audition. She struggled with her weight throughout her career but later praised Cowell for his comments.
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“My journey with my weight has been publicized [from] the moment that Simon Cowell made fun of me on national television,” she said in a 2013 interview with “Entertainment Tonight.” “The world was talking about my weight and while I hated it then, I look back now having lost a hundred pounds [and] I’m so thankful that happened. I’m thankful that Simon did that.”
The “Overcomer” singer recorded multiple songs that reached the charts not only in the Christian market but in the secular market as well.
Mandisa collaborated with TobyMac, Kirk Franklin, Michael W. Smith, Jon Reddick, Matthew West, and Jordan Feliz. She was a regular opening artist for TobyMac and would often join him onstage to sing “Lose My Soul.”
In 2017, Mandisa shared on “Good Morning America” that she struggled with depression and became suicidal after her close friend died of cancer, leading her to go into hiding for nearly three years.
“I was this close to listening to that voice that was saying, ‘You can be with Jesus right now Mandisa, all you have to do is take your life,’” she told host Robin Roberts. “It almost happened,” said the artist. “But God, he stepped in and saved my life quite literally.”
K-LOVE chief media officer David Pierce said, “Mandisa loved Jesus, and she used her unusually extensive platform to talk about him at every turn. Her kindness was epic, her smile electric, her voice massive, but it was no match for the size of her heart.”
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