The Voice Alum Anthony Riley Dies at Age 28
He withdraw from The Voice after about a month of performances. Williams, who had him on his team, said Riley left for personal reasons. Philly.com reported that he departed the show in January to deal with substance abuse issues. Riley told the outlet that he battled drug addiction for two years and that after he left The Voice, he went to rehab.
"The Voice has been a really great source of support," Riley had 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."
Philadelphia busker Robby Parsons, who has performed with Riley, told Yahoo! Music that his sister called him on Friday to tell him the sad news.
"I called the friend he'd been living with, Bobby Iovine, and Bobby was in tears. And he said, ‘Robby, it's true,‘" Parsons said. "Anthony was a gentle soul. Just a loving, caring, gentle person, is what he was."
The Voice host Carson Daly also paid tribute to Riley.
"Praying for the family and friends of Anthony Riley today," he wrote on Instagram, alongside a pic of the two. It's a heartbreaking loss. He was incredibly talented and loved to sing. God Bless him."
(E! and NBC are part of the NBCUniversal family.)
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