American Idol star Nikki McKibbin has died.
The Texan native who rose to fame on the first season of the show in 2002 was only 42 – years-old.
The sad news was announced by her co-star Justin Guarini on Instagram on Saturday.
He penned: “@realnikkimckibbin was a fiery, funny lady who could sing the Hell out of a rock song with the same kind of ease and command she lovingly used to cut you with her twangy Southern wit.
“Even in our 20’s when we were on American Idol together I could tell that she’d had a challenging life, and that not that many people had been kind to her along the way…but I’ll never forget the day that her idol, Stevie Nicks, sent her flowers with a card that said ‘You are the Gypsy that I was…’.
“Nikki was on cloud nine and the joy and excitement that radiated from her was infectious. After the kind of emotional beating she took at the hands of the masses, she deserved to feel good about herself, even for a little while,” he wrote.
“Rest well, ‘Gypsy’…and thank you for the laughter, merciless teasing, strength, vulnerability, love and friendship you showed me during our time together in the spotlight.”
TMZ report that sources told them that Nikki died of a brain aneurysm.
The American outlet claim the singer was in the hospital on life support and at 3 AM she was pronounced dead.
Nikki finished third on the 2002 series of American Idol.
Justin Guarini was second and Kelly Clarkson was crowned the winner.
Nikki was open about her troubles and had substance abuse issues.
She appeared in 2008 on Dr. Drew’s Celebrity Rehab and went on to be on Sober House, a spinoff of Celebrity Rehab.