" 19th Season runner-up of American Idol Willie Spence is killed in a car accident ".
The American Idol season 19 runner-up Willie Spence passed away on Tuesday at around 4 p.m. following an automobile accident. Tuesday in East Tennessee's Marion County, according to NBC News. He was 23.
Authorities and NBC News claim that at the 147-mile mark, Spence's 2019 Jeep Cherokee "left the roadway" and collided with the rear of a tractor-trailer that was stopped on the shoulder east of Interstate 24.
According to NBC News, both Spence and the tractor-driver trailer's were buckled up.
According to NBC News, Spence was declared dead at the site and Marion County Medical Examiner Barbara O'Neal determined the cause of death to be "multisystem trauma related to motor vehicle accident."
"We are devastated about the passing of our beloved American Idol family member, Willie Spence. He was a true talent who lit up every room he entered and will be deeply missed. We send our condolences to his loved ones." According to American Idol's Twitter feed.