Mandisa’s father, John Hundley, said he doesn’t believe the “American Idol” alum harmed herself before she was found dead in her home on April 18.
“But here’s what I think happened,” he told the congregation of Brentwood Baptist Church in Nashville, Tenn., at the late singer’s Celebration of Life service on April 27, per the Christian Post.
“Mandisa fell down in her bedroom. 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 was a couple of big rugs there and some clothes.”
Hundley said he found his daughter’s cell phone on the “right side” of her bed and claimed there was “no way” for Mandisa to get around the bed and “call for help.”
“She did not harm herself,” he emphasized. “As she said, Mandisa loved the Lord and the Lord loved Mandisa.”
Hundley claimed the “Overcomer” songstress told him “some time ago” that she contracted COVID-19 and “had been weak trying to get over that.”
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“But she was trying to press through,” he shared. “We talked so much on Easter morning, but I thought she was going to this conference, and so I had not called her recently but I’ve talked to her a lot. May she rest in peace now.”
Mandisa was found dead in her Nashville home on April 18. She was 47.
Hundley said his daughter’s official cause of death will not be released for weeks.
After news of Mandisa’s death surfaced, Christian rock radio station K-Love chief media officer David Pierce shared in a statement, saying her struggles were now “over.”
“Mandisa struggled, and she was vulnerable enough to share that with us, which helped us talk about our own struggles,” he shared.
“Mandisa’s struggles are over. She is with the God she sang about now. While we are saddened, Mandisa is home. We’re praying for Mandisa’s family and friends and ask you to join us.”
The “Bleed the Same” singer rose to fame during Season 5 of “American Idol” in 2006.
Mandisa made it to the show’s Top 10 and released her debut album, “True Beauty,” the following year. She then became a Christian radio staple with the songs “Good Morning,” “My Deliverer” and “Stronger.”
In her 2022 memoir, “Out of the Dark: My Journey Through the Shadows to Find God’s Joy,” Mandisa got candid about being raped as a teenager and her mental health struggles.
At one point in time, she had even considered suicide but her friends intervened and forced her to go to therapy.
“American Idol” honored Mandisa’s legacy earlier this week with contestants performing a rendition of “Shackles (Praise You)” by Mary Mary, which was the first song she sang on the reality competition show in 2006.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call or text the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988.
