Willie Spence

For other people with similar names, see William Spence.

Willie Spence (June 18, 1999 – October 11, 2022) was an American singer. He was the runner-up of the nineteenth season of American Idol at the age of 21.

Willie Spence
Years active	2017–2022
Born	(1999-06-18)June 18, 1999 West Palm Beach, Florida, U.S.
Died	October 11, 2022(2022-10-11) (aged 23) Jasper, Tennessee, U.S.
Occupation	Singer

Life

Spence was born on June 18, 1999,^[1] in West Palm Beach, Florida, and grew up in Douglas, Georgia, after his family moved there.^[2]

Spence posted online videos of him singing during his time in high school. In 2017, a video he had posted singing the Rihanna song "Diamonds" went viral on YouTube, eventually garnering over 32 million views.^[2] This brought him significant attention, including an appearance on the talk show Steve, hosted by Steve Harvey.^[2][3] In 2021, Spence auditioned for the nineteenth season of American Idol. His performances received a positive reception from the judges,^[2] and Spence ended up placing second in the competition, only behind Chayce Beckham.^[4]

Death

Spence was killed in a car crash on Interstate 24 near Chattanooga on October 11, 2022, at 23 years old.^[5] His death was reported by the Marion County Sheriff's Office.^[6] According to WSB-TV in Atlanta, he was driving a Jeep Cherokee when he veered off I-24 at around 4:00PM ET. His vehicle struck a tractor-trailer that was stopped on the shoulder of the road. The driver of that vehicle was not injured.^[6]

The official Instagram account for American Idol reposted a video of Spence's audition for the show as a tribute.^[2] Beckham and Katharine McPhee, a contestant on the show's fifth season who had previously performed with Spence, posted their own tributes to Spence on Instagram.^[3][4]

Dustin Poirier Tribute

On June 1st 2024, at UFC 302, Dustin Poirier paid his respects to the death of Spence by using his "Diamonds" by Rihanna cover as his walkout music during his journey to the octagon.

References

1. "williespenceofficial". Twitter. Archived from the original on October 12, 2022. Retrieved October 12, 2022.^{[self-published]}
2. France, Lisa Respers (October 12, 2022). "Willie Spence, 'American Idol' Season 19 runner-up, dead at 23". CNN. Archived from the original on October 12, 2022. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
3. Keeley, Matt (October 12, 2022). "RIP Willie Spence: Tributes pour in for "American Idol" singer after crash". Newsweek. Archived from the original on October 13, 2022. Retrieved October 13, 2022.
4. Whitaker, Sterling (October 12, 2022). "Chayce Beckham Tributes 'American Idol' Star Willie Spence After Fatal Crash". Taste of Country. Townsquare Media. Archived from the original on October 13, 2022. Retrieved October 13, 2022.
5. "'American Idol' finalist dies in vehicle crash". CTV News. 2022-10-12. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
6. "Georgia-born American Idol star Willie Spence killed in car accident at 23". WSB-TV. October 12, 2022. Archived from the original on October 12, 2022. Retrieved October 12, 2022.