American Idol contestant C.J. Harris’ cause of death was released on Thursday. Harris died of a heart attack on Jan. 15, a spokesperson for the Walker County Coroner in Alabama told PEOPLE. Harris was rushed to the hospital in his hometown of Jasper, Alabama. Efforts to revive him with CPR were unsuccessful. The singer was 31.
Harris first auditioned for American Idol in 2010, and also unsuccessfully tried out for The X-Factor and The Voice. Before American Idol Season 13, Harris decided to try out one more time for the Fox show. He finally auditioned before the judges in Salt Lake City, where his performance of The Allman Brothers Band’s “Soulshine” impressed then-judges Keith Urban, Jennifer Lopez, and Harry Connick Jr.
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Throughout the season, Harris continued to wow the judges and audiences at home with his soulful voice and eclectic choices of songs. Harris sang songs originally recorded by Tom Petty, Sam Cooke, Darius Rucker, John Mayer, The SteelDrivers, and Aretha Franklin on his way to the Top 6. During his last show, he performed The Guess Who’s “American Woman” and Zac Brown Band’s “Whatever It Is” before he was eliminated.
“I was always on the internet, trying to find a break, looking for which producers I could send my stuff to,” Harris told The Hollywood Reporter in March 2014. “I searched for American Idol and I saw they were doing the bus tour and they were going to be 30 minutes down the road from me. ‘I said, ‘You know what? I’m going to give it another chance. I’ve gotten so much better, my voice has matured and my playing has gotten so much better. I’m 23, before you know it I’ll be 33 and I want to give it another chance.’”
Harris said he developed an interest in music at a young age. When he was six years old, his mother would sing to him over the phone while she was in prison. His grandfather later gave him a guitar that only had three strings. His grandfather instilled a strong work ethic that made him who he was. “He helped me so much with becoming a man. It’s a big reason why I am who I am today,” Harris told THR of his grandfather.
After Idol, Harris continued recording and performing. Rucker invited him to perform at The Grand Ole Opry and he moved to Nashville. In 2019, he released his first single, “In Love.” In his last Facebook post, Harris told fans he planned on releasing new music in 2023.
“C.J. Harris was an incredible talent, and the news of his passing deeply saddens us,” the American Idol team wrote in a statement on Jan. 16. “He will be truly missed.”
