Chris Tungseth, a 27-year-old singer and construction worker from Fergus Falls, Minnesota, was the last hopeful “American Idol” contestant to step into the audition room for Season 24. His tearful audition dedicated to his father left a lasting impression on the judges trio, Luke Bryan, Carrie Underwood, and especially Lionel Richie, who opened up about his own journey with grief following Tungseth’s unforgettable performance.
Tungseth Performs an Original Song Honoring His Late Father
During his emotional package, viewers were able to see Tungseth’s family and his home back in Minnesota. He said his childhood was “so fun and so simple,” until his mom was diagnosed with a “pretty aggressive” form of multiple sclerosis when he was only 10 years old. Twelve years later, his dad, who he described as being his “best friend” and “foundation,” was diagnosed with leukemia.
“That was the worst thing I’ve ever had in my life. Like Superman is no longer Superman. My siblings moved home to help me take care of them. I mean, all of us put life on hold, but there was nothing else that we would’ve done. That was honestly the biggest gift for us to be close to them.”
Since his mom was a pianist and his dad was an opera singer, Tungseth and his siblings were inspired by their love of music, and he now uses it as a way to carry on his dad’s legacy.
For his audition, Tungseth chose to sing a beautiful original song that he wrote in honor of his late dad, titled “Lonely Road.”
Richie Recalls What He Learned While in the Hospital With His Own Father
“I love everything about you,” said Underwood to Tungseth following his performance. “I love your presence. I love how open you are in the way you talk, communicate, and the way you sing, communicate. You have an incredible voice. It’s powerful and it’s beautiful. It’s masculine and it’s soft at the same time. You kind of have all the things just very impressive. The gift that you have to work with and the way that you work with it.”
“You have a ministry, a real strong connection to people. I was so touched by the fact that you said, ‘I’m blessed. I’m grateful,'” began Richie. “There was a point in my life where I thought, ‘my dad’s dying and my life’s falling apart.’ There was a little aid over in the corner of the hospital and I was talking to my dad. He was in and out of a coma. He said, ‘you’re very lucky.’ And I looked at him and said, ‘what are you talking about?’ I said, ‘he’s in a coma.’ And he said, ‘I was just thinking, I wish I had a dad to love as much as you have.'”
Bryan added, “I had setbacks in my life that put my music career on hold and I matured and grew up during those years. It’s really perfect to me what you’re doing. I’ve been in the room with Chris Stapleton a lot of times. You’ve got those little vibes going on. You’ve got that ability to whisper with soul and turn it up. You just got a lot of stuff going on and don’t be afraid to turn ’em loose because we’re going to be there every step of the way encouraging you.”
After a unanimous “yes” from all three judges, Tungseth earned a golden ticket and celebrated with a group hug with his family, followed by a call to his mom back home to tell her the good news.
Tungseth told the camera, “I know my dad would be so happy and I know he’d be the first person cheering me on as soon as I walked out that door.”
How Richie Worked Through the Loss of His ‘Hero’
In an interview with ITV’s “Lorraine,” Richie revealed that he struggled after losing his father, Lionel Richie Sr., in 1990. The Grammy-winner detailed one of the hardest times of his life and how he worked through it.
“My father was ill and I went through a very — I won’t say a depression, a massive depression, because, you know, my dad was my hero,” Richie said. “I went through that whole period of my life.”
Richie said that welcoming his second child, his son Miles, in 1994 marked a turning point. He explained to ITV, “It was something about the birth of my kid. Miles came along and [daughter Nicole Richie] was already there, and I realized I had a group of people that were kind of looking up to me to be the head of the house.”
This time also marked a hiatus from music for Richie, following the 1986 release of his album “Dancing on the Ceiling.” His kids inspired him to return to recording. He explained, “They didn’t know what the hell I did for a living so I thought at that particular point, let’s go back and prove to the kids what I do. And so that was the incentive. I realized, this is what I should be doing.”
