Nolan Neal, a fan-favorite contestant from The Voice and AGT, has died. He was 41 years old.
Variety confirmed the news of Neal’s passing with his cousin, Dylan Seals. While no official cause of death has been released as of press time, Seals told PEOPLE Neal, “ultimately succumbed to his battle with substance abuse.”
The larger world was first introduced to Neal on The Voice. He auditioned during Season 10, but did not earn a chair turn. He returned for Season 11, when he landed on Adam Levine’s team after singing Elton John’s “Tiny Dancer.”
Neal was eliminated during the knockouts.
The Nashville-born singer had always been incredibly transparent about his battles with substance abuse. He once told WBIR he “kind of lost [his] way…and continued drinking” while competing on The Voice.
After a few years, Neal returned to TV on America’s Got Talent. He auditioned for Season 15 with a performance of his original song, “Lost.” The song was inspired by his struggles with addiction.
“Lost” struck a chord with viewers. As of this writing, the official video of Neal’s performance has over 3.6 million views.
Neal was eventually eliminated from AGT during the quarterfinals.
Seals remembers his cousin as “a loving father and son. A light to all who knew him.” He also said his “heart goes out to his two children and his mother Cathy.”
We too, will be keeping Neal’s loved ones in our prayers during this difficult time. You can remember Neal by watching his AGT performance of “Lost” in the video below.