‘American Idol’ Remembers Mandisa With Emotional Tribute By Alum Colton Dixon, Melinda Doolittle & Danny Gokey

deadline.com:

American Idol paid tribute to the late Mandisa, the late Season 5 contestant who died earlier this month at the age of 47. To honor Mandisa’s life, Idol alum Colton Dixon, Melinda Doolittle, and Danny Gokey returned to the stage and performed “Shackles” by Mary Mary.

Mandisa sang “Shackles” as a contestant on American Idol, saying back in 2006 that the song meant a lot to her “because it’s a testimony that there’s nothing too hard for God.” At the end of the performance, the trio shared some words about Mandisa. “I’ve known her for over twenty years,” Doolittle said. “We started off singing background in sessions together.

And then she got on Idol, and I cheered for her, and I came the next season, and she cheered for me. That is my girl through and through.” Gokey said that Mandisa “was a fan of people,” adding, “She was a cheerleader for other people’s music.” The singer recalled that when he got dropped from a record label, Mandisa “had the biggest voice for me.” Dixon noted that “Shackles” summed up Mandisa’s life, saying, “I think she came in praising, I think she left praising.

We’re going to miss her, but our loss is heaven’s gain.” Ahead of the tribute, American Idol released a statement following the news of Mandisa’s death. “Mandisa was an adored icon on American Idol and in the music industry,” the show said in a statement. “She had become a platinum-selling artist and had won several Grammys for her music.