Zuri Craig, who in 2015 was a finalist on the reality show "America’s Got Talent" as part of the Craig Lewis band, has died at age 44.
The news was confirmed by the singer's family in a statement. No cause of death was listed but it was revealed that Craig died Friday.
"It is with profound sadness that we announce the transition of our beloved son, brother and friend, Zuri Craig," Craig's family wrote on his Instagram page. "We thank you in advance for your prayers. Please honor our privacy during this unimaginable time of mourning."
The Instagram post indicated that more information was forthcoming.
Craig wowed judges and audiences on AGT back in 2015, when he and music partner Jeffrey Lewis performed renditions of James Brown's "This is a Man's World" and Mary J. Blige's "I'm Goin' Down," TVLine noted. They finished fifth overall in that year’s competition.
Prior to that, Craig caught Perry's attention after seeing YouTube videos of him performing cover songs. This led to Perry hiring Craig to appear in several movies including "Madea’s Big Happy Family," "Madea Gets a Job" and "A Madea Christmas."
In 2010, the Craig Lewis Band performed on Oprah and the following year they went on to appear on "The Mo’Nique Show." According to TVLine, Craig was set to produce a live production in Atlanta called "Soul Food Live" starting in November.
Craig's death comes less than two weeks after "American Idol" star Willie Spence, who was a finalist on the hit music show last year, died at 23. According to reports, the Georgia musician died on Oct. 11 after the vehicle he was driving hit the rear of a tractor-trailer that was stopped on the shoulder of Interstate 24 East near Chattanooga, Tennessee. It was noted that both drivers were wearing seatbelts at the time of the collision. The truck driver escaped the incident uninjured.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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