“American Idol” alum Doug Kiker, who auditioned on Season 18 of the singing competition show, has died, his sister confirmed. He was 32.
On March 12, Kiker’s sister, Angela Evans, posted a statement on Facebook about his death. She uploaded two pictures of her brother and wrote, “It is with a heavy heart that we have to announce the passing of my brother Douglas Kiker.”
“He was sooo loved and will be missed by so many! (You’re) singing with the Angel’s now Bubba,” she added. “Please pray for our family as we go (through) this very difficult time.”
Her post tagged Kiker’s account, which said that he resided in Mobile, Alabama. She did not provide more information about his cause of death.
Kiker appeared as the first contestant on Season 18 of “American Idol” in 2020. He was featured in the premiere, which aired Feb. 16, 2020, and sang Rascal Flatts’ “Bless the Broken Road.” Kiker, then 27, was working as a garbage collector when he decided to pursue a singing career despite a lack of experience. He also mentioned that he had a 2-year-old daughter at the time.
After he belted out the lyrics to the country song, Perry and Kiker became emotional. Host Ryan Seacrest, Perry and fellow judges Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan all announced together that Kiker earned a ticket to Hollywood and would continue to the next round.
They hugged Kiker and Perry told him, “Listen, you just stay who you are and you’re going to go so far. And you’re going to take your daughter with you to all the highest heights.”
Kiker was eliminated before making it into the Top 20. But, he later returned to perform his audition song again, this time with Rascal Flatts, during the finale. He sang along with the trio for a virtual performance due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Prior to the finale, Kiker made another appearance on the show during a “Home Check-In” segment that Bryan posted on Instagram.
In the clip, Kiker said, “Y’all notice anything different about me? I got new teeth, guys.”
He showed off his new smile and continued, “The sky’s the limit, man. Y’all got me feeling that way. I finally believe in myself enough to actually sing in front of people. I’m about to go do somebody’s birthday party. I’m going to video-chat them due to the COVID-19.”
Kiker’s daughter then sat on his lap as he told her, “I did this for you.”
In the caption, Bryan wrote, “@douglaskiker looking good y’all. Thankful we met you buddy.”
Kiker regularly uploaded videos of him singing to the Instagram account that Bryan tagged. His last post was shared on Dec. 5, 2022.
