American Idol judge Luke Bryan recently opened up about how the death of Season 19 runner-up Willie Spence affected him. Bryan said he wished he had “cherished more moments” with the young singer when he was on the show.
Luke Bryan Remembers American Idol‘s Willie Spence
Billboard recently interviewed American Idol judges Luke Bryan, Lionel Richie, and Carrie Underwood, as well as longtime host Ryan Seacrest. The stars were asked to name “the one thing during your entire time on Idol that you would change.”
“The first thing that popped in my mind is: I would have cherished more moments with Willie Spence,” Bryan shared. “That’s a biggie to me – losing him and knowing how much he touched me in that room, in that space, watching him perform week in and week out. It was truly breathtaking.”
Bryan pointed out that Spence was from Douglas, Georgia — which isn’t far from Bryan’s own hometown of Leesburg. He said that Spence’s death at age 23 “really affected me,” adding, “From time to time, I’ll see a clip of him singing and it just breaks my heart for him and his family, and I just can only imagine what his career might have been.”
Host Ryan Seacrest chimed in to say, “You don’t think those things are ever going to happen.” Bryan acknowledged that “the sad reality is we are going to lose people” who have competed on the show.
Willie Spence competed on Season 19 of American Idol in 2021, reaching the Finals and finishing in second place behind winner Chayce Beckham. Sadly, in October 2022, Spence passed away in a car accident in Tennessee.
According to reports, Spence’s Jeep Cherokee went off the road and hit a tractor-trailer which was parked on the shoulder. The truck driver was reportedly not injured in the crash, but Spence died of his injuries at the scene.
“We are devastated about the passing of our beloved American Idol family member, Willie Spence,” read a statement from the show after his death. “He was a true talent who lit up every room he entered and will be deeply missed. We send our condolences to his loved ones.”
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Jill O'Rourke Jill O’Rourke is a contributor at Talent Recap, writing news stories and recaps for shows like ‘AGT,’ ‘The Voice,’ and ‘American Idol.’ She graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in English and Film Studies, and has been writing about pop culture since 2012, with previous bylines at Crushable and A Plus. Jill spends her free time binge-watching sitcoms and daydreaming about life as a hobbit
