Nolan Neal — a musician best known for his moving performances on both The Voice and America’s Got Talent — has passed away at the age of 41.
The Nashville musician had been open about his struggles with addiction, which seemed to re-ignite with the emergence of the pandemic.
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This appears to mirror the backstory behind the recent passing of Mickey Rooney Jr. , who is just one more example of the respected musicians we’ve lost this year.
A fan page dedicated to him has declared their intent to raise money for Neal’s family in the near future.
Neal first appeared on Season 15 of ‘America’s Got Talent’ and declared himself a proud Nashville native before his performance.
According to The Sun , he made it to the quarterfinals and performed his original song “Send Me A Butterfly” after first impressing the judges with another original titled “Lost.”
Neal would also join Adam Levine’s team in Season 10 of ‘The Voice’ after wowing him with a rendition of Elton John’s “Tiny Dancer.”
And once again, Neal was able to build some serious momentum on this show as well, having advanced to the knockout round before he was eliminated.
Neal was found dead in his Nashville apartment by his cousin Dylan on July 18.
According to TMZ, no official cause of death has been released at this time and Dylan maintained that Neal was clean and making music to him while they lived together four months before the pandemic.
Nonetheless, Neal revealed that his demons were still very much in his life by 2020 and shared that he struggled with his addiction while competing on The Voice.
In a touching Instagram tribute , his fan page declared, “The world is missing a bright light and Heaven just got a new music director” and advised keeping an eye on the page for future fundraiser’s for Neal’s family.
May he rest in peace.
h/t: TMZ
