Debra Byrd, renowned vocal coach of American Idol fame, passed away at the age of 72. Byrd, who lent her expertise to ten seasons of the popular singing competition, also made appearances on shows like The Voice and Military Idol. Notably, she recommended Jennifer Hudson for the role in Dreamgirls, a move that eventually earned the singer an Oscar.
Debra Byrd’s Cause Of Death
The well-known singer Debra Byrd has died in Los Angeles at the age of 72. She taught singers on American Idol, The Voice, Canadian Idol, Majors and Miners, and many other shows. At the time this article was written, the reason for her death was still unknown.
A lot of famous and award-winning artists, like Bob Dylan and Jennifer Hudson, learned from Debra Byrd. Many of them paid respect to her on social media.
Jennifer Hudson wrote, “Heartbroken over the passing of Debra Byrd, the vocal coach on American Idol. She encouraged and supported us from the very beginning! I am so grateful for everything she taught us. She will be dearly missed, but her legacy lives on through the music of countless artists she influenced during her lifetime. Rest in peace, Debra.”
The Twitter post uploaded by Jennifer Hudson is given below:
Heartbroken over the passing of Debra Byrd, the vocal coach on American Idol. She encouraged and supported us from the very beginning ! I am so grateful for everything she taught us. She will be dearly missed, but her legacy lives on through the music of countless artists she… pic.twitter.com/81no23VzfF
— Jennifer Hudson (@IAMJHUD) March 7, 2024
Deadline says that Debra got her start in music with Barry Manilow, with whom she used to perform after she finished learning theater. After going on tour with Manilow for a few years, Debra put out her own song and became famous.
Debra Byrd’s Rise To Notoriety
Debra Byrd is from Cleveland, Ohio, and went to Kent State University. She also sang in the Community Voices of Faith Choir in Cleveland.
After that, she studied at the Karamu and Dobama stages. She then went on tour around the world right away with Barry Manilow and as part of the trio in the women’s band LadyFlash. Additionally, she played with Bob Dylan on several occasions.
Debra began coaching after gaining years of experience in music. Because of how good she was, she was the coach to many Grammy-winning artists, recording artists, Broadway stars, actors, and singers, such as Kelly Clarkson, Fantasia, Barry Manilow, and many more.
Barry Manilow posted a tribute for Debra which can be seen below:
This is one of the saddest days of my life. I just can’t wrap my mind around the fact that Debra is no longer with me.
She was one of the most wonderful friends I’ve ever had.
I will miss you forever, my love.
-Barry Manilow pic.twitter.com/mc5QwlQ2ft
— Barry Manilow (@barrymanilow) March 6, 2024
She also made it to the Billboard Top 100 with her song “Street Singin'” in 1976. Debra taught Bob Dylan how to sing and played with him on Hard to Handle: Bob Dylan in Concert and then again on Band of the Hand.
After playing Da Singer in Broadway’s Bring In ‘Da Noise, Bring In ‘Da Funk, Byrd became famous. A few of her other well-known Broadway roles are in The Human Comedy, Barry Manilow on Broadway, and Haarlem Nocturne.
Besides that, she has also done character work for well-known movies like Lion King, 2 1/2 Sisters, Sister Act 2, Deliver Us from Eva, Two Can Play That Game, and Nikita Blues.
This led to her becoming a voice coach for American Idol, a job she held until the show’s 10th season. Afterward, she became the vocal coach for The Voice and, in 2014, the vocal teacher for the Oscars. NBC also put her in charge of making sure the music for the 2019 Super Bowl tribute to Prince was produced well.
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