America’s Got Talent fans are mourning the loss of former contestant Skilyr Hicks.
The singer-songwriter and guitar player, who competed on season eight of the NBC competition series in 2013, was found dead at age 23 in a friend’s home in Liberty, S.C. on Monday, Dec. 6, Skilyr’s mother, Jodi Simak Cronk, told TMZ.
On Wednesday, Dec. 8, Chief Deputy Chad Brooks of the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office told the outlet that Skilyr was pronounced dead at the scene after being found on the floor of a bathroom, where drugs and paraphernalia were also found. Though the official cause of the musician’s death has not yet been determined, the officer said she is suspected to have died of a drug overdose.
Skilyr’s 25-year-old sister, Breelyn Hicks, paid tribute to the musician on her Facebook page, writing, “My super beautiful, extremely talented, hilarious, free spirit of a sister left this world to be with Jesus. I can’t possibly put into words how broken-hearted I am. I will miss her like crazy. I’ll miss her voice, her long warm hugs, her constantly making jokes using puns. Her ability to create music that inspired thousands of people.”
