'American Idol' Finalist Loses Life In Crash

Wednesday, October 12 2022

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Willie Spence
Photo by Robb Cohen/Invision/AP
Willie Spence at the Symphony Hall Atlanta

JASPER, Tenn. (AP) — A finalist on “American Idol” has died in a vehicle crash in Tennessee.

Willie Spence, 23, died Tuesday after hitting the rear of a tractor-trailer that was stopped on the shoulder of Interstate 24 East near Chattanooga, according to news outlets, which cited a Tennessee Highway Patrol report.

Both drivers were wearing seatbelts, and the truck driver wasn't injured, the crash report said.

Spence, who was from Georgia, finished in second place on season 19 of “American Idol" last year.

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