Anthony Riley, a street performer in Philadelphia and a contestant on this past season of NBC’s The Voice, has died. He was 28.
Riley was found dead in his Philadelphia apartment on Friday, Philly.com reports, in an apparent suicide.
Riley’s friend, Robby Parsons, spoke to Yahoo and said, “Anthony passed away Tuesday. He wasn’t found until yesterday [Friday]…Anthony was a gentle soul. Just a loving, caring, gentle person, is what he was.”
In his blind audition for The Voice, which aired in February, Riley became the fastest contestant to have all four judges turn and fight for him. He chose to work with Pharrell Williams, but after the first battle round, Riley told producers he was struggling with substance abuse, and left the show to enter rehab back in Philadelphia.
"The Voice has been a really great source of support," Riley told Philly.com. "At the time, [being on the show] wasn't working for me and I felt like I needed to go, instead of taking on more responsibility than I could handle."
Riley’s older sister, Halima Miley, said the family has yet to make arrangements but a public memorial should be expected, according to Philly.com.