There’s always a light at the end of the tunnel, and thisAmerican Idolcontestant is living proof.During Sunday’s episode ofIdol, 27-year-old Lauren Engle revealed to judgesKaty Perry,Luke BryanandLionel Richiethat she lost her husband, Garrett, in a tragic car accident in 2017.“Losing him made me realize I’ve got nothing else to do but keep doing music and to honor him,” the Redlands, California, native said.After singing an original song titled “Compass” with her brother-in-law playing guitar beside her, Engle was overcome with emotion.RELATED ARTICLE:See the Emotional Moment That Brings Luke Bryan to Tears onAmerican Idol“That is really beautiful,” Perry said. “Lauren, you’re so strong. I was really invested in the lyrics of your song. I felt the emotion and I felt the pain. I can’t imagine singing that, or writing that or even going through any of what you’ve been through. You’re just a beautiful testimony to have gone through all that, still standing. One foot in front of the other, right? And you’ve made it all the way here.”Katy Perry.“He was a very lucky man,” Richie added. “Forget about the competition for a moment. You have a mission for the rest of your life to be you. Enjoy the ride. He’s right here.”“I’ve asked multiple times what my purpose is in life after the accident and as to why I’m still here,” said Engle, proudly holding the golden ticket to Hollywood. “So, today, there is still a purpose.”ABCLast week, Richiewas brought to tearsafter hearing the story of 17-year-old Virginia native Shayy — who became legally blind one year ago.“A year ago I started complaining to my mother about not being able to see the whiteboard,” Shayy said during Wednesday’s episode. “I was like, ‘Oh man I’m going to get glasses now.’ I went to [the doctor’s office] and she had done a bunch of tests on my eyes. She came back and was like, ‘You need to go to the ER now.’ I got dragged to my MRI and that’s when they found a tumor in my brain. One doctor was like, ‘Okay, Shayy, I’m going to try and save you from going blind. I was like, ‘What’d he just say?’”She continued, “When I first came home from the hospital, I had come home and I couldn’t see everything. Once I got back into school that was the bad part. The kids were so cruel. They would call me names. They would kick my cane. They pushed me. I asked my mom at one point, ‘Why did that happen to me?’ But on the other side, I have people that have been really supportive and I have made new friends. There’s a whole other side to life that I never knew about. People are always going to say, ‘You can’t do this, you can’t do that.’ But you can do it. You got it!”Shayy.After Shayy sangAndra Day‘s “Rise Up,” judges Perry and Bryan were visibly emotional, but Richie was on another level.“You have wrecked me,” he told Shayy. “You’re a lesson to us all. It’s the power of the spirit and you’re the reminder just how blessed we are. I’m so in love with you.”Lionel Richie.ABCAmerican Idolairs Sundays at 8 p.m. EST, with five additional Monday night episodes starting March 18.
There’s always a light at the end of the tunnel, and thisAmerican Idolcontestant is living proof.
During Sunday’s episode ofIdol, 27-year-old Lauren Engle revealed to judgesKaty Perry,Luke BryanandLionel Richiethat she lost her husband, Garrett, in a tragic car accident in 2017.
“Losing him made me realize I’ve got nothing else to do but keep doing music and to honor him,” the Redlands, California, native said.
After singing an original song titled “Compass” with her brother-in-law playing guitar beside her, Engle was overcome with emotion.
RELATED ARTICLE:See the Emotional Moment That Brings Luke Bryan to Tears onAmerican Idol
“That is really beautiful,” Perry said. “Lauren, you’re so strong. I was really invested in the lyrics of your song. I felt the emotion and I felt the pain. I can’t imagine singing that, or writing that or even going through any of what you’ve been through. You’re just a beautiful testimony to have gone through all that, still standing. One foot in front of the other, right? And you’ve made it all the way here.”
Katy Perry.
“He was a very lucky man,” Richie added. “Forget about the competition for a moment. You have a mission for the rest of your life to be you. Enjoy the ride. He’s right here.”
“I’ve asked multiple times what my purpose is in life after the accident and as to why I’m still here,” said Engle, proudly holding the golden ticket to Hollywood. “So, today, there is still a purpose.”
ABC
Last week, Richiewas brought to tearsafter hearing the story of 17-year-old Virginia native Shayy — who became legally blind one year ago.
“A year ago I started complaining to my mother about not being able to see the whiteboard,” Shayy said during Wednesday’s episode. “I was like, ‘Oh man I’m going to get glasses now.’ I went to [the doctor’s office] and she had done a bunch of tests on my eyes. She came back and was like, ‘You need to go to the ER now.’ I got dragged to my MRI and that’s when they found a tumor in my brain. One doctor was like, ‘Okay, Shayy, I’m going to try and save you from going blind. I was like, ‘What’d he just say?’”
She continued, “When I first came home from the hospital, I had come home and I couldn’t see everything. Once I got back into school that was the bad part. The kids were so cruel. They would call me names. They would kick my cane. They pushed me. I asked my mom at one point, ‘Why did that happen to me?’ But on the other side, I have people that have been really supportive and I have made new friends. There’s a whole other side to life that I never knew about. People are always going to say, ‘You can’t do this, you can’t do that.’ But you can do it. You got it!”
Shayy.
After Shayy sangAndra Day‘s “Rise Up,” judges Perry and Bryan were visibly emotional, but Richie was on another level.
“You have wrecked me,” he told Shayy. “You’re a lesson to us all. It’s the power of the spirit and you’re the reminder just how blessed we are. I’m so in love with you.”
Lionel Richie.ABC
American Idolairs Sundays at 8 p.m. EST, with five additional Monday night episodes starting March 18.
source: people.com
