Alice Tan Ridley Dead - Singer & Mother to Gabourey Sidibe Dies at 72
Alice Tan Ridley has sadly passed away.
The singer, known for entertaining subway riders in New York City for years as a gospel and R&B singer and appearing on NBC’s America’s Got Talent, has passed away at 72, her family confirmed.
Alice passed on March 25 in New York, her family said, including daughter Gabourey Sidibe.
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She first became a teacher, working with special needs kids in Brooklyn. After a divorce and becoming a single mom, she started singing for tips in the subway.
She won $25,000 on the 2002 pilot episode of Fox’s 30 Seconds to Fame and in 2005 was a contestant on Showtime at the Apollo. She also performed “Amazing Grace” in the David LaChapelle documentary Rize and “America the Beautiful” in the film Heights.
In 2010, she auditioned for AGT with “At Last,” going all the way to the semifinals.
In September 2016 at age 63, she released her debut album, Never Lost My Way.
She later sang “Good Feeling,” used for commercials for Buick and Royal Caribbean Cruises, toured, and ultimately returned to performing in the subway again in 2014.
She was forced to retire in 2018 when she reportedly began suffering from dementia, via THR.
Our thoughts are with Alice Tan Ridley‘s loved ones at this incredibly difficult time.