Nikki McKibbin Dead: ‘American Idol’ Contestant Dies at 42

Nikki McKibbin, a contestant on the first season of American Idol, died in the hospital on November 1, at 3 a.m. According to TMZ, the singer was hospitalized on life support following a brain aneurysm. Fellow American Idol contestant, Justin Guarini, posted the news of her death on Instagram, writing in part, “Rest well, ‘Gypsy’…and thank you for the laughter, merciless teasing, strength, vulnerability, love and friendship you showed me during our time together in the spotlight. #rip #americanidol.”

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@realnikkimckibbin was a fiery, funny lady who could sing the Hell out of a rock song with the same kind of ease and command she lovingly used to cut you with her twangy Southern wit. ⁣ ⁣ Even in our 20’s when we were on American Idol together I could tell that she’d had a challenging life, and that not that many people had been kind to her along the way…⁣ ⁣ …but I’ll never forget the day that her idol, Stevie Nicks, sent her flowers with a card that said “You are the Gypsy that I was…”. Nikki was on cloud nine and the joy and excitement that radiated from her was infectious. After the kind of emotional beating she took at the hands of the masses, she deserved to feel good about herself, even for a little while. ⁣ ⁣ Rest well, “Gypsy”…and thank you for the laughter, merciless teasing, strength, vulnerability, love and friendship you showed me during our time together in the spotlight. #rip #americanidol

A post shared by Justin Guarini (@justinguarini) on Oct 31, 2020 at 3:48pm PDT

McKibbin appeared on the first season of American Idol in 2002, finishing third behind Guarini and eventual winner Kelly Clarkson. Her most memorable performance was when she covered “Black Velvet” by Alannah Myles, but also sang Janis Joplin and Alanis Morissette, among other covers.

McKibbin was married to Craig Sadler and has a son, Tristan Langley, who also auditioned for American Idol in 2014 when he was just 15, TMZ reported.

This story is still developing and will be updated.

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