‘American Idol’ Alum Josh Gracin, Feared to Have Committed Suicide, Is Alive

In an increasingly disturbing trend, another American Idol alum was thought to have died unexpectedly, until police found the former contestant alive, if not so well.

Josh Gracin, who competed on season two of the Fox show, left a disturbing note on his Facebook page on Aug. 14 (screen-grabbed here on Taste of Country), in which he wrote, “Please remember me as someone who gave his all in music” and “pray for my family as they carry on in this world without me.”

No sooner did the word start to spread on social media did the police show up to his home and confirm that he did not commit suicide. Gracin’s manager later tweeted from his handle, “Josh is safe & with his family now. I promise to update soon.”

Gracin won America’s heart, but finished fourth on the 2003 edition of the once popular series. His backstory as a Marine who loved to sing helped endear him to millions.

Following the show, he was signed to Lyric Street Records and would go on to chart 11 singles on the Hot Country Songs chart, including the No. 1 “Nothin’ To Lose” in 2005. His self-titled debut album, released in 2004, hit No. 2 on the Top Country Albums chart and No. 11 on the Billboard 200. It sold 705,000 copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan. He followed it with two further albums, 2008’s We Weren’t Crazy (No. 4 on Country Albums) and 2011’s Redemption (No. 39 on Country Albums).

News of another Idol death would have further pained an already suffering community, which lost one of its own, season seven alum Michael Johns, on Aug. 2. The cause of death remains unknown with an autopsy proving inconclusive.

This is Josh’s manager, Amy. Thank you everyone for your prayers & concern. Josh is safe & with his family now. I promise to update soon.

— Josh Gracin (@joshgracin) August 14, 2014

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Disney’s ‘American Idol’ Experience to Close Early

Walt Disney World’s American Idol Experience attraction will be closing come the end of the summer, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.

As first reported in The Orlando Sentinel, the Experience will shut down for good on Aug. 30. The theme park had announced back in June that guests would be able to compete on its stage for a chance to go to real-life auditions in Hollywood until January 2015. But a spokesman told the Florida paper that the company moved up the closing due to a continuous review of Disney’s entertainment options. 

The American Idol Experience opened in 2009 to much fanfare, with all of the show’s winners — Kelly Clarkson, Ruben Studdard, Fantasia Barrino, Carrie Underwood, Taylor Hicks, Jordin Sparks and David Cook — on hand for a blue carpet event. The attraction was set up much like the show. Guests pre-auditioned for a screener, who would decide whether or not to advance the prospective contestant to the main stage. There, the auditioner would perform in front of a panel of three judges using songs picked from a list of prerecorded selections.

Several future American Idol finalists earned a golden ticket there and went on to the big show, including season nine’s Aaron Kelly, season 11’s Erika Van Pelt, season 13’s Majesty Rose, Ben Briley and Emily Piriz.

Says Van Pelt: “The American Idol experience changed everything for me. I had auditioned for the show several times before, but winning the Dream Ticket was the game-changer. AI Experience gave me a taste of the real thing, down to the smallest detail—live audience voting, charismatic hosts and a good Simon judge-a-like or two! The Dream Ticket gave me the opportunity to go the front of the line at the auditions in Pittsburgh for season 11, which ultimately led to me securing a spot in the Top 10. I am so grateful for the opportunity.”

Twitter: @MicheleAmabile, @Idol_Worship

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Watch Linda Perry and Sara Gilbert Lampoon ‘American Idol’

If Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin, or Led Zeppelin were to audition for American Idol today, would any of them have earned a Golden Ticket to Hollywood?

The short answer to that, according to hit songwriter Linda Perry, star of VH1’s Make or Break: The Linda Perry Project, is a resounding “no.” To make her point, Perry and wife Sara Gilbert enlisted singer-actor-radio host  Michael Des Barres to lampoon the FOX singing show with a hilarious video, entitled “American’t Idol.”

Disguising herself in sunglasses and a wig, Perry takes on the persona of vacuous pop star Blue Stone, a judge more interested in self promotion and checking her iPhone while would-be stars audition. Gilbert is the author of a book, Eat to the Beat (nice Blondie reference), “the cookbook that will change your life,” while Des Barres takes on the Simon Cowell role.

When Dylan vies for his shot at the title with his audition song, “Tangled up In Blue,” Des Barres cringes. “Words in music is terribly important,” he tells the singer-songwriter. “Your lyrics are ridiculous.”

Gilbert sheepishly comments that she isn’t in the music world, but offers this advice: “You wear your hat so low on your eyes, … if the audience can’t connect to your eyes, we can’t feel you.” Another problem, she adds, the voice isn’t commercial. “Stick to songwriting,” says Gilbert, who advises him to find his inner Katy Perry while Blue Stone spends the entire time taking selfies, and then says the song is great because it mentions the color blue.

As for Joplin’s audition of “Cry Baby,” Stone’s words sting. “My guru teacher told me, Blue don’t ever sing when you are feeling emotional,” she says. Gilbert tells Joplin to sex it up, and brand the song as a kid’s number.

Of course, Perry voices her overall disdain for singing shows via a voiceover at the end. “When you are done with this bullshit and you want to watch a show that is actually about music, come watch Make or Break: The Linda Perry Project on VH1,”  she says.

As for Blue Stone? Her album comes out Sept. 22. 

Watch the clip above.

Twitter: @MicheleAmabile, @Idol_Worship

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Following Suicide Scare, ‘American Idol’ Alum Josh Gracin Checks Into Psychiatric Facility

American Idol season-two alum Josh Gracin has been discharged from the hospital and has voluntarily checked himself into an inpatient psychiatric facility, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.

Gracin is getting help after leaving a disturbing suicide note on Facebook. According to TMZ, Gracin was placed on a 5150 psychiatric hold in Tennessee, arriving at the facility with a police escort.

In a statement to THR, Gracin said he is taking full responsibility for his actions and is moving forward.

“I want to thank you all for your prayers and support. I take responsibility for my actions and apologize dearly for what I have put my family through. With the help of my family and friends, I am getting help,” he said. “Again, thank you for your love, and I will see you very soon.”

As previously reported, Gracin, who finished in fourth place on the 2003 edition of the Fox singing competition, left a note on Facebook in which he wrote, “Please remember me as someone who gave his all in music. … Pray for my family as they carry on in this world without me. Goodbye.”

The former Marine, who began the competition singing pop songs by Edwin McCain but transitioned to country with songs by Garth Brooks and the Mark Chesnutt version of Aerosmith’s “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing,” alluded to marital problems on social media.

“I’ve loved her for 17 years … I made mistakes … I admitted them, told her the truth and she turned her back on me when I needed her help the most,” he wrote.

One month prior, all seemed OK. The singer had tweeted beautiful family vacation photos, and he was getting ready to release an independent EP, Worth This Love, in the fall. He also had plans to shoot a video in September.

“Albums aren’t selling,” Gracin told West Virginia Gazette. “Why spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on one record when you can release an EP every couple of months and do pretty much the same thing?”

Since Idol, Gracin went on to chart 11 singles on the Hot Country Songs chart, including the No. 1 “Nothin’ to Lose.” His self-titled album in 2004 hit No. 2 on the Top Country Albums chart and No. 11 on the Billboard 200, with 705,000 copies sold, according to Nielsen SoundScan. He subsequently released two more albums and racked up more hits, including the eerily titled top 10 song “I Want to Live.”

Gracin’s manager, Amy MacIntosh of Artist Manager Private Label Studios?, tweeted from the singer’s Twitter handle that Gracin is “safe and with his family.”

On. Aug. 15, MacIntosh released the following update:

As many of you know, Josh Gracin has been battling depression and as a result found himself in a personal crisis yesterday. Thanks to the outpouring of concern from family, friends, fans and the police, Josh was admitted to the hospital for observation.

With family by his side, Josh has since been discharged from the hospital and has voluntarily checked himself into an inpatient facility to seek the help he needs.

An update on the singer’s Facebook page reports that an appearance at tomorrow’s Live on the Levee show in Charleston, West Virginia, has been canceled. Country music artist Trent Tomlinson will be performing in his place.

Twitter: @MicheleAmabile, @Idol_Worship

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