According to reports, Grammy-winning Christian recording artist Mandisa has passed away. The Christian radio network K-LOVE first reported the news of the “Stronger” singer-songwriter’s death over the airwaves before sharing the news on social media. Mandisa, whose full name is Mandisa Hudley, died at her Nashville home at 47 years old. Her cause of death hasn’t been shared. In a statement, 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.
He added, “Mandisa struggled, and she was vulnerable enough to share that with us, which helped us talk about our own struggles.” The “Overcomer” singer appeared on CBN’s “Quick Start” in 2022 to talk about her memoir, “Out of the Dark,” which chronicled her struggles with anxiety and depression amid her fame following her success on the 2007 season of “American Idol.” In her book, Mandisa addressed dark and difficult subjects, like her near-suicide attempt and how the Lord redeemed those broken things in her life for His glory and her good.
The singer-songwriter’s suicide attempt, she told CBN, came amid a spiraling depression sparked by the death of her friend, Keisha, whom she believed would survive breast cancer. When her friend passed away, Mandisa didn’t know how to cope. “When she passed away, it shook the foundation underneath me, and I was angry,” she said. “[I] was numb. And then I started to question God.” Rather than talk about her pain, though, Mandisa kept it bottled up.
She reflected in 2022, “I kept it all inside. Before I knew it, I was miserable and hopeless. I didn’t want to be around anybody. I stayed in my house for two years, essentially, just eating and getting worse and worse.” She continued, “It was a slow fade until the point where I really wanted to end it all.” Ultimately, Mandisa’s attempt to take her own life failed. Looking back, she told CBN it was the wake-up call she needed. At the time, she said, “I’m able to see now how God has redeemed it. I still wish my friend were here, but I’ve learned how important it is to grieve and to walk with God through things like that.”
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The Lord used the Old Testament book of Psalms to help Mandisa understand the pain she was feeling. “Look at the Psalms,” she encouraged. “I mean, you see David one minute talking about how good God is and the next minute saying, ‘I want you to slaughter my enemies,’ and, ‘How could you allow this?’ I have learned how important it is to say these things because I think we miss the comfort that we get from God when we choose to just stuff it down and not say anything at all.” Born and raised in Citrus Heights, California, Mandisa studied music in college before auditioning for “American Idol” in 2005.
A soulful singer with a magnetic personality, she’d go on to gain national attention on the reality competition show’s fifth season (which began airing in 2006), making it to the top 10 alongside favorites like Katharine McPhee, Kellie Pickler, Chris Daughtry, Paris Bennett, Elliott Yamin and eventual winner Taylor Hicks.
On the series, Mandisa earned praise from judges Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson for her performances of songs like Chaka Khan’s “I’m Every Woman” and Stevie Wonder’s “Don’t You Worry ‘Bout a Thing.” She was eliminated in the top 9 and even forgave Cowell after he poked fun at her weight.