By Talia Wise —
The father of the late Christian singer Mandisa is speaking out about what he believes to be the cause of her sudden death nearly three weeks ago.
John Hundley spoke before a crowd at the singer’s celebration of life service held over the weekend at Brentwood Baptist Church in Nashville, Tennessee.
Hundley said he had stayed at his daughter’s Beamon Drive home for several days after her death and spoke to detectives.
“Here’s what I think happened,” he said. “Mandisa fell down in her bedroom. They found her on the floor. If you look from the rear of her bed, she was laying on the left side. It’s clear that’s where she was laying, there was a couple of big rugs there and some clothes. On the right side of the bed, front, was this nightstand. I found her phone on the right side of the bed. There was no way for Mandisa to get around the bed, go out there, and get a phone to call for help.”
“She did not harm herself,” he stressed. “As (Beth Moore) said, Mandisa loved the Lord and the Lord loved Mandisa. So there’s one thing you may not have known. She told me some time ago that she had gotten COVID-19 and she had been weak trying to get over that. But she was trying to press through. We talked so much on Easter morning, but I thought she was going to this conference, so I had not called her recently but I’ve talked to her a lot.”
“May she rest in peace now,” he added also sharing it would be at least three weeks before detectives would release a report on the cause of Mandisa’s death.
The Franklin Police Department announced last week they were still searching for a reason for her sudden death but there was “no indication the death was the result of suspicious or criminal activity.”
As CBN News reported, K-LOVE broke the news that Mandisa — whose full name is Mandisa Hundley — passed away on April 18 at the age of 47.
The Grammy-winning artist is known for her uplifting hits like “Good Morning” and “Overcomer.” Throughout her career, she collaborated with top Christian performers like TobyMac, Matthew West, Michael W. Smith, Kirk Franklin, and Jordan Feliz.
Her death has shocked many in the Christian community.
Prominent Christian leader Beth Moore shared during the celebration of life service that Mandisa was a dynamic personality who left an impact on everyone she knew.
“Whatever she did, she did it with every molecule she had,” Moore explained.
She also reminisced over Mandisa’s performance of “Shackles (Praise You)” by Mary Mary at Living Proof conferences and events.
“She owned that ‘baby.’ She owned that stage. She made it hers,” she expressed, adding that Mandisa was not only a talented singer, but a dynamic speaker.
“That’s when we realized that Mandisa could indeed do it all…Mandisa had an impact on an audience like no one I had ever seen. She was simply sublime. Utterly mesmerizing. Every word, whether sung or spoken, hit a resonant chord with her audience and she loved Jesus in a way that made everyone around her want to love Him,” she recalled.
Mandisa became a household name after she made it to the top nine on the fifth season of “American Idol.”
The competition reality show hosted a special celebration Monday night to honor the singer’s legacy.
Former contestants Colton Dixon, Danny Gokey, and Melinda Doolittle performed “Shackles” in tribute of the singer who also performed it on Season 5 of the show.
After the performance, longtime host Ryan Seacrest asked the trio to elaborate on Mandisa’s connection to the song to which they replied, “The song sums up her life. I think she came in praising, I think she left praising. We’re gonna miss her, but our loss is heaven’s gain.”
Moore added during the celebration service that, “Jesus took those shackles off her feet, so she could dance.” — CBN
