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'American Idol' pays tribute to late Grammy-winning former contestant Mandisa

Eva Hartman, Los Angeles Times on

Published in Entertainment News

"American Idol" paid tribute to former contestant Mandisa on Monday.

Former "Idol" contestants Melinda Doolittle, Colton Dixon and Danny Gokey performed a cover of "Shackles (Praise You)" by gospel duo Mary Mary. Mandisa memorably performed the song on Season 5 of the show and later included it on her CDs "Overcomer: The Greatest Hits" and "Get Up: The Remixes."

"Mandisa's joyful spirit carried over into her Grammy-winning gospel music and dedication to her faith," "Idol" host Ryan Seacrest said as he introduced the performance.

Her fellow musicians, all dressed in white, sang Mandisa's praises following the performance.

"I've known her for over 20 years," Doolittle said, visibly emotional as she talked to Seacrest. "We started off singing background in sessions together and then she got on 'Idol' and I cheered for her. Then I came the next season and she cheered for me. So that is my girl, through and through."

Dixon said that "Shackles (Praise You)" "sums up [Mandisa's] life."

 

"I think she came in praising, I think she left praising," he told the audience. "We're gonna miss her, but our loss is heaven's gain."

The gospel singer was found dead in her Nashville, Tennessee, home earlier this month. Though no cause of death has been revealed, police announced that they found no signs of foul play. She was 47.

"Mandisa was an adored icon on American Idol and in the music industry," the statement from the show read after her death. "Her passing has left everyone on the show heartbroken, and we extend our deepest condolences to her family."

A representative confirmed to The Times on April 19 that the California-born artist "was found in her home [in Tennessee] deceased."

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