Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Mandisa, whose inspirational Gospel-pop hits are a mainstay on contemporary Christian radio, has died. She was 47.
Born Mandisa Lynn Hundley, the former American Idol contestant passed away in her Nashville home on Thursday, April 18, according to K-Love.
Mandisa was well known for her positive, upbeat, and encouraging music, but beneath it, she struggled to deal with her everyday life.
After losing a close friend to cancer, a friend for whom she wrote her award-winning song, “Overcomer”, Mandisa descended into a dark pit of depression, isolating herself from family and friends.
Two years in, Mandisa’s friends and family intervened and surrounded her, filling her with positivity.
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“They forced me to get counseling,” Mandisa explained in a media interview in 2022. “That’s when I finally started dealing with that grief that I had been stuffing down. It was through my counseling journey that I finally started opening up, and it was through the love of the people around me that I started dealing with these things.”
Mandisa wrote about her struggles in her book, Out of the Dark: My Journey through the Shadows to Find God’s Joy, released in 2022.
“I think so many people have struggled. Even people that we see in the Bible. The way that I see God address those people, is not by saying, I’m so ashamed of you, I’m so disappointed, but with love and with grace. I think that’s how we should respond to each other as well.”
“I want to encourage people, even if you think you’re not making a difference, reaching out and letting somebody know that you care and that you love them, they hear that. Whether or not you get the response that you want, they hear it, and it does make a difference.”
The cause of Mandisa’s death is unknown at this time.
Josh Shepherd contributed to this article, which was originally published at CHVN Radio.
Journalist Colleen Houde is a news writer and on-air host at CHVN in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
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8 Responses
Thank you for blessing the world with the beautiful gift God gave you…you left too soon…be blessed song bird. Psalm 23
This broke my heart. What a beautiful gift God gave to Mandisa; and to hear her confidently sing a gospel song on American Idol when Simon Cowell asked her “why THAT song?” ….she truly lived her testimony.
How very saddened I feel reading this. She was such a beautiful person, and it hurts my heart to think she didn’t fully understand that.
Mandisa spoke at a conference in my city last December and she told of her struggles then and it seemed as if she was overcoming them. She was just beautiful and so was her voice.
I can’t stop thinking about Miss Mandisa. I loved her because of her sensitivity, faith, humanity, love and generosity. Hedys must be wiping the tears from her eyes right now. It grieves me to think of her suffering. God bless her.🙏🏼💔😭
What an amazing song and video. May she rest in peace. May we all be more sensitive to those around us struggling with depression. My MIL’s favorite hymn, as she died from cancer was “Victory in Jesus”
What a powerful video of Overcomer. Thank you for posting this link.
Many struggle with suicidal ideation and depression. It does not matter what faith you hold to. May God comfort Mandisa’s family. What wonderful, uplifting sone she sang.