Grammy Award-winning contemporary Christian singer Mandisa Lynn Hundley, former LifeWay Christian Resource worker and top-10 American Idol Finisher, was found dead at his Nashville home on Thursday, his publicist announced on social media.
No cause of death is given.
“We can confirm that Mandisa was found dead in her home yesterday. At this point we do not know the cause of death or further details,” according to an official release post On April 19, the performer’s official X account goes by the name Mandisa.
“We ask for your prayers for his family and close circle of friends during this incredibly difficult time.”
before finishing in ninth place American IdolIn its fifth season in 2005, Mandisa worked as a telephone customer service representative for LifeWay from 2000 to 2003, LifeWay told Baptist Press.
She partnered with the LifeWay Women’s Ministry Team, worshiped and led at some events, and later performed at Living Proof live events.
“Our team at LifeWay is heartbroken to hear of the passing of our friend and former colleague,” LifeWay CEO Ben Mandrell told Baptist Press. “His teammates remember the joy and kindness he brought to work every day. Our heartfelt prayers are with his family.”
Lakisha Mitchell, the late wife of Southern Baptist pastor Breonas Mitchell, inspired the title track of Mandisa’s hit “Overcomer” album that won the 2014 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Christian Music Album. Breonnas Mitchell, senior pastor of Mount Gilead Baptist Church in Hermitage, Tennessee, remarried in 2018.
“Of course we are saddened by his transfer,” he told Baptist Press. “Mandisa was just a shining light, a shining witness. He stayed true to his beliefs, even though he dealt with depression and teenage transition issues, he just rebounded. And I think the song ‘Overcomer’ and his work reflect his life, how he overcame such a big problem.
After the album’s success, Lakisha’s death from breast cancer in 2014 sent Mandisa into a deep and prolonged depression, which she overcame. But she continued to struggle with her mental health, sharing her struggles publicly and in her 2022 book, Out of the Dark: My Journey Through the Shadows to Find God’s Joy.
“She’s a tremendous winner,” Mitchell said of Mandisa. “The scriptures say we don’t grieve like those who have no hope, and that’s our hope, that even in death there is life. We grieve, but at the same time celebrate another young life, but a life.” Live well.”
Overcomer Also snagged Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year at the 2014 Gospel Music Association Dove Awards. Its lead single was certified as a platinum hit by the Recording Industry Association of America and was the title song of the Kendrick Brothers’ 2019 film of the same title.
The Fisk University graduate sang with the Fisk Jubilee Choir while earning her bachelor’s degree.
His 2007 debut album true beauty It received her first Grammy Award nomination, topped the Top Christian Albums chart, and peaked at number 43 on the Billboard 200 Albums chart.
Many mourned his death.
“Mandisa loved Jesus, and she used her unusually wide platform to talk about him at every turn,” said K-Love Chief Media Officer David Pearce. Posted in X. “His kindness was epic, his smile electric, his voice huge, but it was no match for the size of his heart.
“Mandisa struggled, and she was vulnerable enough to share with us, which helped us talk about our own struggles. Mandisa’s struggle is over, she is now with the God she sings about.”
