Janice Freeman, a contestant on The Voice in 2017, has died at the age of 33.
Freeman’s family confirmed her death to TMZ, saying “she was at home in Pasadena with her husband, Dion, when she started complaining she couldn’t breathe.” On Saturday, her husband called 911 and subsequently performed CPR on Freeman until paramedics showed up. Freeman was pronounced dead on that evening.
Freeman reportedly died from a blood clot that had moved to her heart. The singer was a cancer survivor who previously dealt with health issues including cervical cancer, lupus and meningitis.
Tributes began pouring in on social media for the late singer, including from Voice coach Jennifer Hudson, who posted on Instagram that Freeman was “a blessing and inspiration to us all.”
During season 13 of The Voice in 2017, Freeman was featured on “Team Miley” and advanced to the top 11 in the show. She became a contestant following a blind audition of Imagine Dragons’ “Radioactive” and later performed an empowering rendition of Etta James’ “Woman.”
Following her stint on The Voice, Freeman and Miley Cyrus continued their friendship. The Voicecoach even helped Freeman out financially, paying for a security deposit and six months’ rent on an apartment for her family.
In response to the kind gesture, Freeman posted an emotional video thanking Cyrus saying, “Miley, you are my dawg, like, my best friend, and I will defend you to the bitter end. This woman blessed me to be able to move in. Do you understand? What she don’t know is, I’ve been praying for her.”
(Excerpt) Read more in: Rolling Stone