Following the unexpected death of gospel singer and former American Idol contestant Mandisa, her father, John Hundley, has stepped forward with poignant insights into her health leading up to the tragedy.
Mandisa died on April 18 at her Nashville-area home. She was 47. An autopsy could take months and an investigation is ongoing, but Hundley dispelled notions of self-harm. He also shed light on his daughter's recent illness and a weakened state he attributed to COVID-19.
Mandisa's Health Before Tragedy
Though some have speculated over Mandisa's public struggle and comments about depression, John Hundley maintains that self-harm did not play a role in his daughter's death.
During a recent memorial service at Brentwood Baptist Church in Nashville, Hundley disclosed that the singer had been battling illness and was in a weakened state due to COVID-19 before her passing.
He reportedly believes that his daughter "fell down in her bedroom," according to a video of his speech posted to Gospel Music Buzz on YouTube.
"They found her on the floor. If you look from the rear of her bed, she was laying on the left side. It's clear that's where she was laying, there were a couple of big rugs there and some clothes," Hundley explained.
The singer's father mentioned discovering her phone "positioned on the right side of the bed," leading him to question how she could have reached it to call for assistance. He went on to say that Mandisa told him "some time ago that she had gotten COVID-19, and she had been weak trying to get over that but she was trying to press through."
Hundley also said that he had stayed at his daughter's home following her passing and had been actively engaging with investigators to aid their progress.
Mandisa's Cause of Death Still Unknown
Authorities from the Franklin Police Department revealed that they did not believe any foul play was involved in the singer's passing, and they were not treating the incident as suspicious.
After conducting an autopsy, the Davidson County Medical Examiner's Office reported that the cause of death is still under investigation, and results may not be available for another eight to 12 weeks.
Additional forensic testing is required before the identification can be officially confirmed.
Initially, Mandisa's father announced her passing with a sense of disbelief in a statement provided to TMZ. According to the outlet, summarizing Hundley's words, her unexpected death came as a complete shock to the entire family.
In the spotlight of American Idol's Season 5 in 2006, Mandisa made her mark as she climbed to the Top 10 and ultimately secured the ninth spot. Following this success, she released six studio albums. In 2014, she won a Grammy for Best Contemporary Christian Music Album for her 2013 release, Overcomer.
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