Luke Bryan Reflects on Late ‘American Idol’ Runner-Up Willie Spence: ‘It Just Breaks My Heart’

Luke Bryan shared some sweet words while reflecting on the death of a beloved American Idol runner-up.

In an interview with Billboard published on Friday, March 6, the current Idol judges were asked what they would change about their respective times on the show.

“The first thing that popped in my mind is: I would have cherished more moments with Willie Spence,” Bryan, 49, said.

“That’s a biggie to me — losing him and knowing how much he touched me in that room, in that space, watching him perform week in and week out. It was truly breathtaking,” the Country Girl singer added. “He was from Douglas, Georgia, which is an hour from my hometown.”

Spence, who made it to the finale of season 19 in 2021, died in 2022 at age 23 after crashing his car into a semi-truck parked on the side of the road. People reported at the time that he was on his way home to Atlanta from Tennessee. He had reportedly had a flat tire on his Jeep Cherokee fixed earlier that day.

“That loss really affected me,” Bryan noted in the interview with Billboard. “From time to time, I’ll see a clip of him singing and it just breaks my heart for him and his family, and I just can only imagine what his career might have been.”

Bryan continued by reflecting on the enduring longevity of the show and how it means loss is inevitable.

“It’s like when you go back to your high school reunion and you realize some of your classmates aren’t here,” he pointed out. “Then you realize that, considering the years you’ve been on the show, the sad reality is we are going to lose people.”