‘American Idol’ Finalist Rickey Smith Killed in Car Crash

(Rickey Smith with Paula Abdul in 2003. Photo courtesy of Us Weekly)

Rickey Smith, a contestant from American Idol Season 2, has tragically died in a multi-car highway accident. The talented eighth-place finalist was only 36 years old.

According to TMZ, another man was driving the wrong way Thursday night, just outside Oklahoma City on Interstate 240, when he slammed head-on into Smith’s automobile. The driver was hospitalized and has been booked for DUI.

Smith was a fan favorite in his Idol season, thanks to his “Hercules, Hercules!” catchphrase, soulful gospel-tinged vocals, and unflappably jolly demeanor – as evidenced by his famous Disco Night number, when he performed Earth, Wind & Fire’s “Let’s Groove” in a fluffy Afro wig. Eerily, though, one of his standout Idol performances, on Country Night, was a serious cover of Larry Gatlin’s “I’ve Done Enough Dyin’ Today.”

Various American Idol alumni, including Smith’s occasional duet partner Melinda Doolittle and his Season 2 castmates Ruben Studdard, Clay Aiken, and Kimberly Caldwell, took to social media Friday morning to express their grief.

Smith is the second American Idol top 10 finalist to pass away. Season 7’s Michael Johns shockingly died in August 2014 of dilated cardiomyopathy.