Who Was Quindon Tarver? How did 38-Year-Old 'American Idol' Singer Die?

Quindon Tarver, a well-known singer on 'American Idol' and a child artiste who performed in 1996 Romeo+Juliet, has passed away. The news of his demise at the age of 38 has been confirmed by his uncle, who said that the young singer was focusing on his music and getting ready to make his comeback in the industry. Quindon's uncle said that he had been in the studio working on a project that was supposed to be released in 2021.

Quindon had signed with Virgin Records at the age of 12 to record his debut album. He then got the opportunity to audition for the modern adaptation of Shakespeare's play "Romeo+Juliet" directed by Baz Luhrmann. The film starred Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes' in the lead role where Quindon portrayed the character of a choirboy and performed the Prince's "When Doves Cry" in addition to a cover of Rozalla's "Everybody's Free" in the same flick.

Who was Quindon Tarver?

Quindon was born in 1982. He began singing at age 4 initially at his church choir before he was approached for Madonna's "Like a Prayer." While Quindon's fans may remember him as a choir member. The tracks "When Doves Cry" and Rozalla's "Everybody's Free" also appeared on the double-platinum soundtrack to the film, according to reports.

Quindon Tarver
Quindon Tarver died aged 38 Web Screen grab

How did the Singer Die?

The singer died in a car accident in Texas on April 1st, according to his uncle, Kevin Tarver. After learning about the singer's demise, the director of the film Romeo+Juliet paid tribute to Quindon via Instagram posting a video of his singing audition with a caption that read: "A beautiful soul has passed, my thoughts are with Quindon Tarver's family and loved ones."

In 2017, Quindon in an interview had claimed that his career stalled after opening up about being molested by someone in the music industry. He also revealed that he has struggled with drug and alcohol addiction after his career stalled. However, the singer came out of rehab and was dedicated to making a comeback to his music by 2017.

In October 2020 Quindon also released a track, "Stand Our Ground" which was a tribute to his cousin, who died in January due to "police brutality," according to reports.