Many young aspiring singers produce videos on social media and hope to be recognised by fans and producers to continue making music. One singer who went the extra mile was 23-year-old Willie Spence who uploaded his singing videos online and auditioned for American Idol.
In the first audition video, Willie blew the judge’s mind with his stunning performance. The tears really come from when we watch it back and Katy Perry asks the singer “where do you see yourself in five years’ time?” and Willie replies “winning a Grammy.” The emotion and feeling to see such a talented artist grow and his life taken away soon after progressing so much on the show, created silence across social media.
After becoming a finalist on American Idol, Willie went viral with his video singing “Diamonds” by Barbados-born megastar, Rihanna. On Instagram, Willie gained the verification badge and currently has 508k supporters, and on his YouTube channel, he has 592k subscribers. Over time, his voice had improved, and the artist was set to perform live in London for the first time on the 12th of November 2022 before a tragic incident had given Willie a different turn of events.
On the 11th of October, it was announced that the 23-year-old talented star had passed away after a collision that left Willie for dead. In an emotional interview with Willie’s family, they said “we don’t know the details that led up to this crash,” as well as speaking about Willie’s love for music and church. It was clear that the news of Willie’s death affected not only his family but also thousands of people, especially his followers on social media.
Many wrote rest-in-peace messages on Willie’s posts and calling him a King and saying they were lost for words. These comments were written on a particular video uploaded on TikTok just before Willie died in the crash in Tennessee. In the video, Willie has his eyes closed, belting out the anthem Lord you are in my hiding place, and captioning it on the Reel. As he sings with passion with his head pulled back, he sits in his car moments before the crash.
The devastating news has been shared around media platforms as well as by fans and followers of Willie online. Even those who had never heard his voice came to the musician’s page to pay their respects and see the videos that Willie had posted before his death. Although everyone is still unaware of any other causes of the crash, it is refreshing to see people come together on Willies social media pages to honor him, what he believed in and the amazing voice he shared with the world.
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