Willie Spence's Last Words Before Death: 'American Idol' Contestant Shared Haunting Video Before Crash

By Alexandria Reeves

Willie Spence shared a haunting video hours before his untimely death.

Spence, a 23-year-old "American Idol" finalist, died on Tuesday after getting involved in a tragic car crash in Tennessee. Local news outlet DouglasNow confirmed the sad news.

While his bereaved loved ones, friends, "American Idol" family, and fans mourn over his unexpected passing, the last video he posted hours before his death has since gone viral.

On Instagram, Spence recorded himself singing the Christian song, "Lord You Are My Hiding Place."

He captioned the post with, "Lord you are my hiding place," with crying and microphone emojis.

After his death, the "American Idol" and his fans paid tribute to him.

The official Twitter account of the singing competition program shared a photo of Spence, writing, "We are devastated about the passing of our beloved American Idol family member, Willie Spence. He was a true talent who lit up every room he entered and will be deeply missed. We send our condolences to his loved ones."

Katy Perry, Luke Bryan, and Ryan Seacrest all shared poignant messages on their accounts and expressed how much they would miss the singer.

Willie Spence was a force of nature. His voice inspired so many, and moved the hearts of everyone that heard him. My heart goes out to Willie’s family and friends, he will be missed. The world lost a beautiful soul, but his music will live on forever. 💙
— Fritz Hager 3 (@fritzhagermusic) October 12, 2022

Willie Spence's Accident Explored

Fox affiliate, WFXL, shared the preliminary accident report made by the Tennessee Highway Patrol. It revealed that Spence's Jeep Cherokee crashed into the back of a truck in Jasper around 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday.

He was reportedly driving eastbound on Interstate 24 when he hit the tractor-trailer's back while it was at a stop. Good Morning America shared the Tennessee Highway Patrol's confirmation that Spence was wearing a seatbelt at the time of the accident.

Responders took him to the hospital, but he died due to the fatal injuries he sustained.

The Tennessee Highway Patrol and the Marion County Medical Examiner have not released a new statement regarding the accident. But Willie Spence's cause of death was already listed as "multi-system trauma due to motor vehicle accident."

A probe is currently underway to find out what happened moments before the fatal crash.

Spence was best known for being a runner-up on "American Idol" season 19. He sang "Stand Up," "A Change is Gonna Come," and "Georgia on My Mind" during his stint in the program.

He also released "The Living Years" with Briana Moir in August. It served as his final single before his death.

Spence was scheduled to hold his supposed first UK concert on November 12 at the Trinity Baptist Church in London.