A chilling video on social media shows rising star Willie Spence singing just hours before he was fatally killed in a car accident.
In one of Spence’s final posts to Instagram — posted a day ago — he is belting out the Christian song, “You Are My Hiding Place” while he sits in his parked car.
Spence looks emotional as he soulfully sings the song with his eyes closed.
The 23-year-old was killed when his car slammed into the back of a parked trailer that was pulled over in the emergency lane on the side of Interstate 24 in Tennessee on Tuesday afternoon.
Spence was the runner up on season 19 of “American Idol,” which aired last year, with Chayce Beckham taking the top spot.
Tributes for the young singer have flooded social media, with friends remembering him as a “kind soul” and “true talent.”
His “American Idol” mentor Katharine McPhee posting a series of Instagram stories about the tragedy.
“I received very tragic news tonight,” she wrote in an Instagram Story, alongside a clip from “Idol.”
“Sweet @williespenceofficial passed away in a car accident. Only 23 years old,” she wrote. “Life is so unfair and nothing is ever promised.”
“God rest your soul Willie,” McPhee continued. “It was a pleasure to sing with you and to know you.”
Film producer Randall Emmett mourned the singer on Instagram after the news broke, saying his “heart is broken.”
“I was lucky to have him sing for me live at my home and other events, I will miss you my friend. I know you touched so many of us,” he said. “I’m heart broken. I will cherish our talks, Rest in Peace, god bless.”
According to a preliminary report from the Tennessee Highway Patrol, Spence’s 2019 Jeep Cherokee “left the roadway” and collided with the back of a tractor trailer that was stopped on the shoulder of the east side of Interstate 24, at the 147 mile marker. The 68-year-old driver of the parked vehicle was not injured and both drivers were wearing seatbelts, as reported by NBC News.