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Mandisa, the contestant of American Idol season 5 got tribute by the contestants of the reality show on Monday, April 29, after the singer’s death at 47.
Former contestants Melinda Dolittle, Colton Dixon and Danny Gokey made a dedicated appearance to sing Shackles (Praise You) by Mary Mary during the episode, which was the first song Mandisa performed when she first got on the Idol stage in 2006.
“I’ve known [Mandisa] for over 20 years,” Melinda shared after the performance.
“We started off playing background and sessions together, and she got on Idol and I cheered for her and I came the next season and she cheered for me.”
Danny, on the other hand, described Mandisa as a real “cheerleader” of other people’s music, pointing out that years ago, when he was let go by his label and then signed to another, she was someone he could always rely on.
She gushed about the musician, saying, “It just felt amazing and she was that person.”
The three singers also discussed, and Colton told the host Ryan Seacrest how Shackles “sums up her life. I think she came in praisin’ and she left praisin’.”
He added, “But our loss is heaven’s gain.”