Anthony Riley, a contestant on the most recent season of The Voice, has died. He was 28.
Riley was found dead in his Philadelphia apartment on Friday, his friend told Philly.com. Yahoo reports that the death was an apparent suicide.
Riley, a Philadelphia street performer, earned a coveted four-chair turn during his blind audition in season eight of NBC’s The Voice, opting for Pharrell Williams as his coach.
Riley won his first competition in the battle rounds but voluntarily dropped out of the show midway through the season for personal reasons. He later told Philly.com that he had decided to enter a two-week rehab program for substance abuse.
“We are sad over the passing of Anthony Riley,” an NBC rep said in a statement issued to The Hollywood Reporter. “We offer our deepest condolences to his friends and family during this very difficult time.”
Video of Riley’s blind audition on The Voice can be seen below.
June 7 at 7:50 a.m. Updated with statement from NBC.
Email: Ryan.Gajewski@THR.com
Twitter: @_RyanGajewski
