Finalist from “American Idol” dies in a car accident

A car accident in Tennessee claimed the life of a “American Idol” finalist.

According to news outlets, which quoted a Tennessee Highway Patrol report, Willie Spence, 23, passed away on Tuesday after colliding with the rear of a tractor-trailer that was stopped on the shoulder of Interstate 24 East near Chattanooga.

The accident report said that both drivers were wearing seatbelts and that the truck driver was unharmed.

Spence, a Georgia native, came in second place on “American Idol” season 19 last year.

A statement from the singing competition show on social media praised Spence as “a real talent who lit up every room he entered.”

The statement states, “We are heartbroken over the loss of our cherished American Idol family member, Willie Spence. “We offer his loved ones our sympathies.”

Spence “could shift the vibe instantaneously when he started singing,” according to singer Luke Bryan, one of the show’s judges.

On Twitter, Bryan proclaimed, “He will genuinely be missed.