Willie Spence, gifted American Idol star, 23 | South Florida Times sfltimes.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from sfltimes.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Willie suffered a health scare at the beginning of the pandemic
Fans of American Idol are tweeting and posting their support for the 21-year-old caretaker
Shine bright like a diamond, Willie Spence.
That phrase has become synonymous with the 21-year-old caretaker, who was born in Palm Beach County, as he competes to be the next “American Idol.” The season 19 finalist auditioned for the ABC reality show competition with a heart-stopping rendition of Rihanna’s song, “Diamonds.” His performance was so good, judges Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan gave Spence a golden ticket, a coveted “in” to the competition.
Voting for contestants on American Idol has finally fallen to viewers. And they, like this season’s judges, seem to be big fans of Willie Spence.
Spence, whose family lives in Riviera Beach, was awarded a spot in the top 12 after two weeks of performances that had Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan at “goosebump central,” as Perry said.
He kicked off his first performance for outside votes with “Wind Beneath My Wings,” by Bette Midler.
Then it was time for his celebrity pairing.
He met up with and gave an of-the-times elbow-bump “hello” to singer Katharine McPhee, who was a previous contestant on American Idol.