Mandisa may be gone, but the American Idol finalist and Grammy winner's legacy remains intact. The singer will be memorialized in two tributes after tragic passing.
Two tributes will be held in Tennessee for the gospel singer. Mandisa's alma mater Fisk University will hold a memorial on Friday. Meanwhile, Brentwood Baptist Church will also hold a memorial. Authorities found the singer dead in her Tennessee home. Mandisa was only 47-year-old. Authorities are still investigating what happened to the singer.
A native of California, Mandisa moved to Tennessee to attend the university. She was one of the Fisk Jubilee singers, graduating in 2000. She later appeared on American Idol in 2005 finishing ninth. Mandisa's friend and fellow Jubilee Singer Caarne White will be holding the Fisk memorial. It's a time for the school to grieve.
"This is a Fisk friends and family event, where we are opening our doors to our student body, faculty, staff and alumni," White told The Tennessean. "It will be a lot of music, because that's what we do at Fisk. There will be tributes to Mandisa, a lot of good memories and maybe some tears. We just wanted it to be open community time to share in the music and the personality of Mandisa."
White plans to perform in her late friend's honor. "I'll be singing some Whitney Houston because that was Mandisa's favorite artist," she said.
Mandisa Remembered
It's been a difficult few days for Mandisa's friends and family. "Disa was such a light," White remembers. "Whether we were performing or in class, or sharing emotions, she always had a scripture. She always had a song. Her spirit was tenacious. And most people she came in contact with would say the same thing about her."
Additionally, Fisk University will dedicate a song to her at the May 5 Jubilee Singer Commencement Concert. The group's director, G. Preston Wilson, Jr., told The Tennessean that the song will either be "There Is a Balm in Gilead" (William Dawson arr.), or "Rest" by Ken Burton.
