Anthony Riley, an artist who auditioned for The Voice's eighth season, has taken his own life at age 28.
|
ADVERTISEMENT
|
"We are sad over the passing of Anthony Riley. We offer our deepest condolences to his friends and family during this very difficult time," NBC said in a statement to CNN.
The Philadelphia street performer made history during The Voice's eighth-season Blind Auditions by achieving the fastest four-chair turnaround ever from the coaches with his rendition of "I Got You (I Feel Good)" by JAmes Brown. Once Riley won his Battle Round in January -- which aired this past spring -- his coach Pharrell Williams announced to the audience he had to drop out due to "personal reasons."
Riley later told the Inquirer he had been struggling with drug addiction for two years and therefore left the show to enter rehab, which was paid for by the network. He reportedly completed the treatment program at Clarity Way in Hanover, PA.
"It's tough, because everyone's just finding out [my issues] and I've been moving forward," Riley told the newspaper in March. "The Voice has been a really great source of support. At the time, [being on the show] wasn't working for me and I felt like I needed to go, instead of taking on more responsibility than I could handle."
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
