Luke Bryan reflects on American Idol star Willie

Luke Bryan has shared how he’s still heartbroken over American Idol star Willie Spence’s demise three years on.

In a new interview, the singer mentioned how Willie’s demise at just 23-years-old still haunts him to this day.

Asked what he would change about his nine-season run as a choose on American Idol, Luke, 49, said, “The first factor that popped in my thoughts is: I’d have cherished more moments with Willie Spence.”

He continued, “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.”

Sharing that Willie grew up just an hour away from his hometown, Bryan confessed that the death “really affected” him.

Talking to Billboard he said, “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.”

Luke also stated that former contestants like Willie dying is a “sad reality” of “American Idol” being on for so long as it has. He explained, “It’s like when you go back to your high school reunion, and you realize some of your classmates aren’t here. Then you realize that, considering the years you’ve been on the show, the sad reality is we are going to lose people.”

Ryan Seacrest, 51, also mentioned Willie passing away during the interview. He said, “You don’t think those things are ever going to happen. When you’ve got that kind of history and the legacy in this show and touched so many different lives and people, it’s never something that you ever think about when you start this, but it is inevitably part of life.”

Willie tragically lost his life after succumbing to injuries he sustained in a car accident in Jasper, Tennessee, on Oct. 11, 2022. He had competed on Season 19 of American Idol in 2021, finishing as runner-up behind Chayce Beckham.

In the season finale he sang Georgia on My Mind, A Change Is Gonna Come and Stand Up. After news of Willie’s death broke, American Idol and Bryan shared tributes to him on social media.

The show wrote, “We are devastated about the passing of our beloved ‘American Idol’ family member, Willie Spence. He was a true talent who lit up every room he entered and will be deeply missed. We send our condolences to his loved ones.”

Bryan wrote at the time, “Willie really did light up every room he walked into. He could change the mood instantly when he started singing. He will truly be missed.”