American Idol star dead aged 31

The star was rushed to hospital on Sunday.

American Idol star CJ Harris has died after suffering a reported heart attack. He was 31. One of the star's family member's told TMZ that he was rushed to a local hospital on Sunday night (15 January) but did not survive The singer shot to fame after auditioning for 2014's American Idol where he impressed judges with a cover of the Allman Brothers Band song 'Soulshine'. "You sing because you have to sing, not because you want to sing. And I mean that in the deepest way," judge Keith Urban told Harris. "And that's why it's so believable and real." CJ told the Hollywood Reporter in 2014 that he had not intended on auditioning for the show, having instead tried out for The Voice and The X Factor. He recounted: "I saw they [Idol] were doing the bus tour and they were going to be 30 minutes down the road from me. "I said, 'You know what? I'm going to give it another chance. I've gotten so much better, my voice has matured and my playing has gotten so much better. I'm 23, before you know it I'll be 33 and I want to give it another chance.'" After American Idol, CJ found success performing in Nashville at the Grand Ole Opry with American singer Darius Rucker, who became his mentor.