Smith, who notably auditioned for the season 11 judging panel, was pronounced dead by police officers on the scene in Millinocket, Maine, after failing to make a sharp turn while riding on her motorcycle. Us Weekly confirmed in August 2019 that Haley Smith was involved in a fatal motorcycle crash. McKibbin is not the only American Idol alum who has passed away after their reality TV tenure. Rest well, ‘Gypsy’…and thank you for the laughter, merciless teasing, strength, vulnerability, love and friendship you showed me during our time together in the spotlight.” … After the kind of emotional beating she took at the hands of the masses, she deserved to feel good about herself, even for a little while. “Even in our 20’s when we were on American Idol together I could tell that she’d had a challenging life, and that not that many people had been kind to her along the way. A fiery, funny lady who could sing the Hell out of a rock song with the same kind of ease and command she lovingly used to cut you with her twangy Southern wit,” the Broadway vet - who placed in second behind Clarkson - wrote via Instagram after his former competitor’s death.
