Family, friends, and fans have been mourning the passing of American Idol singer Mandisa, who was found dead in her home earlier this month. Now, the late singer’s dad has shared some new details about his daughter’s death, including his own theory about her cause of death.
Over the weekend, John Hundley spoke at a memorial service for his daughter — full name Mandisa Hundley — at Brentwood Baptist Church in Nashville. A portion of the service was shared YouTube by Gospel Music Buzz. While addressing the attendees, Hundley stated that Mandisa had been recovering from COVID-19 and was feeling “weak” before she died.
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“What I think happened,” he said, is that “Mandisa fell down in her bedroom.” Hundley continued, “They found her on the floor. If you look from the rear of her bed, she was laying on the left side. It’s clear that’s where she was laying, there was a couple of big rugs there and some clothes.”
Hundley went on to share that he found his daughter’s phone “on the right side of the bed,” and he feels it would not have been possible “for Mandisa to get around the bed, go out there and get a phone to call for help.” Finally, he added that he stayed at Mandisa’s home since she died, and was in regular communication with police officials about their investigation.
Mandisa’s body was discovered in her home in Nashville, Tennessee on Thursday, April 18. Her father confirmed her death to TMZ, who stated that it was “a total shock to the family.” The outlet added that they were told Mandisa had “no known health issues prior to her passing, and her cause of death is not currently known.”
Originally from California, Mandisa moved to Tennessee in the early 2000s for college, and eventually auditioned for American Idol in 2005. The following year, she made it to the top 9 before being eliminated. Afterward, Mandisa went on to start a career in Gospel music, working with artists like Kirk Franklin and TobyMac. In 2014 she won a Grammy for her fifth studio album, Overcomer.
The Franklin, Tennessee Police Department has stated “there is no indication” that Mandisa’s “death was the result of suspicious or criminal activity.” At this time authorities are awaiting autopsy and toxicology results before determining a cause of death.
