American Idol alum Chris Daughtry says he felt ‘guilt’ over his mother and stepdaughter’s deaths, which came within a week of each other.
Chris Daughtry of American Idol opened up about his stepdaughter’s suicide and losing his mother to cancer within a week of each other, on a recent appearance on The Kelly Clarkson Show. Both Chris and Kelly are some of the most successful American Idol alumni, with Kelly winning the first season and becoming a Grammy-winning singer and Emmy-award-winning talk show host. Chris finished in fourth place on season 5 in 2006, and it’s still regarded as one of the most shocking eliminations in American Idol history as many pegged him as a frontrunner to win. Chris also competed as the “Rottweiler” in the second season of The Masked Singer in 2019, where he came in second place.
Chris had a heartbreaking end to 2021, as he lost his mother to cancer in November. Additionally, on November 12, his stepdaughter, Hannah Price, passed away. In January 2022, Chris and his family said that her cause of death was suicide. She was 25 years old when she passed away. In a statement, Chris said that Hannah had struggled with mental illness her entire life.
Speaking about the recent losses in his life on The Kelly Clarkson Show, the American Idol alum said that he “dealt with both losses very differently.” Although, he explained that “the common denominator in both is the guilt” and “the guilt is the hardest to deal with because you can’t do anything about it.” Chris explained that news of his mother’s death came as his band, Daughtry, was preparing for its Dearly Beloved Tour, but after his stepdaughter’s death, the first few shows were rescheduled. In dealing with the tragedies, Chris says, “It’s been a very healing time in our house.”
Chris also spoke about the unique way that his family grieved his stepdaughter’s loss. On the show, Chris explained to Kelly Clarkson that they had a natural burial, which Hannah had requested. This process involved Chris, his wife, and his kids being directly a part of her burial. He called it “heavy” and “magical.” Speaking about his kids, he said it was “healing to see them be a part” of her burial. While on Kelly’s show, Chris and his band performed their newest song, “Changes Are Coming.”
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The losses that Chris and his family have endured in the past year are unimaginable. It was moving to hear him speak so openly about his stepdaughter and mother and dealing with the grief and guilt he faced. Hearing Chris talk about this sensitive topic can give hope to others going through something similar. Chris has gone on to great things since being on American Idol, but he’s always remained the same humble person he was when he auditioned. It’s inspiring to hear that Chris and his family are healing from the tragedies in their lives.
