Mandisa’s cause of death determined in autopsy report

An autopsy report has confirmed Mandisa’s cause of death.

The American Idol star and Christian singer died at age 47 from complications of class III obesity, according to PEOPLE. Mandisa, whose full name was Mandisa Lynn Hundley, was found in her apartment by her friends on April 18, and the report notes that the singer “was last known alive approximately three weeks” prior. Her death was listed as natural.

“We can confirm that yesterday Mandisa was found in her home deceased,” a representative for Mandisa confirmed in a statement to Entertainment Weekly on April 19. “At this time, we do not know the cause of death or any further details. We ask for your prayers for her family and close-knit circle of friends during this incredibly difficult time.”

The parameters for class III obesity are a BMI over 40 kg/m2, a BMI over 35 kg/m2 combined with one or more serious obesity-related conditions, or being at least 100 pounds over one’s ideal body weight, according to the Obesity Medicine Association.

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Mandisa first appeared on American Idol’s fifth season in 2006, where she performed a cover of  Alicia Keys‘ “Fallin” and ultimately advanced to the top 10. After being eliminated from the show, she launched a successful career as a contemporary Christian and gospel singer, winning a Grammy for Best Contemporary Christian Music Album in 2014 for Overcomer. 

Mandisa released six studio albums in total, receiving five Grammy nominations overall, and also published a memoir, Out of the Dark: My Journey Through the Shadows to Find God’s Joy, in 2022. She had two singles, 2011’s “Stronger” and 2012’s “Good Morning,” become Gold-certified, and her biggest hit “Overcomer,” went Platinum.

Idol paid tribute to Mandisa after her death, as Colton Dixon, Danny Gokey and Melinda Doolittle performed “Shackles (Praise You)” — the Mary Mary song that Mandisa sang on her second-to-last episode of competition — on the show’s April 29 episode.