American Idol star CJ Harris passed away at the age of 31. He reportedly suffered a heart attack and was rushed to hospital on Sunday, January 15 but could not survive Harris finish 6th in the 13th season of American Idol, a singing show. 

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Here is a look at the top 5 performances of Harris from American Idol, that cemented him as a strong vocalist in the show.

1. Soulshine (The Allman Brothers Band) -Harris performed Soulshine in his initial auditions, a song by The Allman Brothers Band . The performance was very well received, and Keith Urban, one of the judges on the show’s 13th season said “You sing ’cause you have to sing, not ’cause you want to sing. And I mean that in the deepest way. And that’s why it’s so believable and real.”

2. Too Close- Harris joined Caleb Johnson, who went on to win the season eventually, for an electrifying performance of Alex Clare’s Too Close.

3. Can’t You See- In critic’s opinion, Harris’ performance of Can’t You See” by The Marshall Tucker Band stands as his best performance on the show. Michael Slezak of TVLine called that performance “gritty” and “emotionally connected”.Dave Holmes of Vulture called it “lived-in and emotional and warm”. Colurso described it as “Rough-edged and raspy, imbued with real-deal emotion.” Doug Gray, a member of The Marshall Tucker Band, praised Harris’ cover of “Can’t You See”

Even Harris considers this as one of his bests performances, along with John Mayer’s Gravity.

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4. Gravity- A song of John Mayer’s album Try! released in 2005, Harris’s raspy vocals do justice to the song, as he emotionally delivers the lyrics. The performance was well received by viewers and Harris himself, who called it one of his favourite performances from the show. 

5. Free Fallin- A song by Tom Petty, it serves as a lead off track on Petty’s 1989 solo album, “Full Moon Fever. The judges praised Harris for his earthy approach to the music. “That’s what I’m all about … touching hearts and communicating,” said Harris on his performance.