A finalist on “American Idol” has died in a car accident in Tennessee

According to news outlets, which quoted a Tennessee Highway Patrol report, Willie Spence, 23, passed away on Tuesday

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after colliding with the rear of a tractor-trailer that was stopped on the shoulder of Interstate 24 East near Chattanooga.

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The accident report said that both drivers were wearing seatbelts and that the truck driver was unharmed.

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Spence, a Georgia native, came in second place on "American Idol" season 19 the previous year.

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The statement reads, "We are heartbroken over the loss of our cherished American Idol family member, Willie Spence. “We send our sympathies to his loved ones.”

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