‘American Idol’ To Pay Tribute To Mandisa With Special Performance By Colton Dixon, Danny Gokey, Melinda Doolittle

Three American Idol alumni will return to the show’s stage on Monday night (April 29) to pay tribute to late season five star Mandisa. The 47-year-old Grammy-winning Christian contemporary singer was found dead of as-yet-undisclosed causes in her home earlier this month.

The performance will take place during Monday night’s Judge’s Song round of the show when Melinda Doolittle (season six), Danny Gokey (season eight) and Colton Dixon (season 11) will come together to sing one of Mandisa’s favorite songs, “Shackles” by gospel duo Mary Mary.

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“Mandisa was an adored icon on American Idol and in the music industry,” read a statement from the show. “She had become a platinum-selling artist and had won [a Grammy] for her music. Her passing has left everyone on the show heartbroken, and we extend our deepest condolences to her family.”

Mandisa was a contestant on 2006 season of Idol and went on to find success on the Christian music charts, with all six of her studio albums reaching the Billboard 200 charts, half of them running up to No. 1 on the Top Christian Albums chart: 2007’s True Beauty, 2013’s Overcomer and 2017’s Out of the Dark. She has landed a handful of songs on the Hot Christian Songs chart, including chart-toppers “Stronger” and “Overcomer,” with the latter spending 10 weeks at the top.

Mandisa won her only Grammy in 2014 for best contemporary Christian music album for Overcomer; in addition to her five Grammy noms, Mandisa also racked up 15 GMA Dove Award nominations, with a win for pop/contemporary album of the year for Overcomer.

Monday night’s show will air at 8 p.m. ET on ABC, with America voting live for the top six at the end of the two-hour episode.

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