American Idol contestant CJ Harris dies at 31: singer suffered ‘apparent heart attack’

American Idol contestant CJ Harris died at the age of 31 on Sunday.

The artist appeared to have a heart attack and was taken by ambulance to a local hospital in his hometown of Jasper, Alabama. Shortly after arriving at the emergency room, the singer, whose full name is Curtis ‘CJ’ Harris, was pronounced dead, according to a report Monday from TMZ.

The singer performed on the reality TV show in 2014, reaching the top six. She later became friends with Darius Rucker, who became her mentor.

In his hometown: The artist appeared to have a heart attack and was taken by ambulance to a local hospital in his hometown of Jasper, Alabama. Shortly after arriving at the emergency room, he was pronounced dead, according to a Monday report from TMZ. Seen in 2014

A family member spoke to the site sharing that the family was shocked by his passing.

His road to Idol was bumpy.

Harris first auditioned for The X-Factor and The Voice, but was unsuccessful. It was then that he turned his attention to American Idol, where made quite an impression during season 13 which took place in 2014.

He auditioned first in Tuscaloosa and then in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Harris wowed the judges with his rendition of the Allman Brothers Band classic Soulshine.

Judge Keith Urban told CJ: “Sing because you have to sing, not because you want to sing.” And I mean that in the deepest way. And that’s why it’s so believable and real.

Early: A family member spoke on the site sharing that the family was shocked by his passing. Seen in 2014

Then CJ sang Too Close, American Woman and Free Fallin’.

It reached sixth place.

In 2014, he told The Hollywood Reporter that he auditioned for American Idol on a whim. “I saw they were doing the bus tour and they were going to be 30 minutes from me,” she began.

He then added: “I said, ‘You know what? I’m going to give it another try. I have improved a lot, my voice has matured and my playing has improved a lot. I’m 23, before. “You know, I’ll be 33 and I want to give it another chance,” she shared.

He had a voice: Harris made quite an impression when he was on American Idol nine years ago. He auditioned in Salt Lake City, Utah, in 2014. Harris impressed the judges with his rendition of the Allman Brothers Band’s Soulshine. Seen in 2014

She also found success after Idol, performing on the Grand Ole Opry with Darius Rucker after moving to Nashville.

And he was a part of the American Idol season 13 tour.

Harris had shared that he came from simple beginnings.

At the age of eight he began to learn to play the guitar with a broken one that his grandfather gave him. He only had three strings, but it was enough to get him hooked on music. He also sang in the church choir and learned to play the piano.

Some of his influences were John Legend, John Mayer and Keith Urban.

Before American Idol, he recorded an album titled Small Town Boy as a freelance musician.