‘American Idol’ alum, gospel singer Mandisa dead at 47

Mandisa, a gospel singer who kicked off her singing career as a contestant on "American Idol," has died. She was 47.

Mandisa's father, John Hundley, confirmed her passing to Fox News Digital, saying that her death was a total shock.

At this time, it's unclear what caused the singer's death.

Mandisa competed on season five of "American Idol," which aired in 2006. She made it to the top nine in the music competition show, and a year later, she released her first full-length album, titled "True Beauty."

During her time on "American Idol," she became known not only for her powerhouse vocals, but also for an inspiring speech she gave to judge Simon Cowell. After her audition, Cowell made remarks about her weight, and later in the process she confronted him about his comments in a conversation with him and his fellow judges Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson.

"Simon, a lot of people want me to say a lot of things to you," she began. "But this is what I want to say to you is that, yes, you hurt me and I cried and it was painful, it really was. But I want you to know that I've forgiven you and that you don't need someone to apologize in order to forgive somebody. I figure that if Jesus could die so that all of my wrongs could be forgiven, I can certainly extend that same grace to you."

Cowell immediately gave her a hug, telling her that he felt "humbled," then noting that he felt "one millimeter small."

His comments helped inspire the name of her first album – in 2013, she told the Hollywood Reporter, "Coming straight off ‘American Idol,’ and having Simon Cowell talk to me about the way I look, I recorded ‘True Beauty,’ [asking questions like] ‘where am I going to put my value?’, ‘am I going to determine my worth by people like Simon or am I going to put my trust into what God says about me?’"

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