‘AGT’ Singer Alice Tan Ridley Passes Away at Age 72

America’s Got Talent Season 5 contestant Alice Tan Ridley has passed away at the age of 72. Before AGT, Ridley was a subway singer and mother to Oscar-nominated actress Gabourey Sidibe.

AGT Singer Alice Tan Ridley Passes Away at 72

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Ridley passed away on March 25 in New York, although no cause of death was shared. Ridley was mother to two children, Ahmed and Gabourey Sidibe. For around 30 years, she performed at subway stations in New York City, primarily Herald Square. According to her obituary, Ridley also worked as a teacher and sang at the Cotton Club in Harlem.

“I was a big secret,” Ridley told the New York Times in a 2016 profile. “With so many people passing by, I wondered, ‘Why doesn’t somebody introduce me to someone who could help me out?’”

In 2002, Ridley won $25,000 on Fox’s 30 Seconds to Fame and later appeared on Showtime at the Apollo in 2005. She auditioned for Season 5 of AGT in 2010, singing “At Last” by Etta James. The judges were impressed by her talent, sending her to the next round.

Throughout the competition, Ridley went on to sing such songs as “Midnight Train to Georgia” by Gladys Knight and “I Have Nothing” by Whitney Houston. She made it to the Semifinals, where she was unfortunately eliminated.

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Ridley Went on to Release an Album

In 2016, Ridley released her debut album at age 63. The project, titled Never Lost My Way, featured both covers and original songs she wrote with producer Jay Stolar. Ridley also went on to headline venues around the country with a seven-piece band.

The singer also performed overseas, and her rendition of the song “Good Feeling” was used in commercials for Buick and Royal Caribbean Cruises. She returned to performing in subway stations in 2014.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Ridley retired from singing in 2018 after she reportedly began suffering from dementia.