Woolf described Harris as “a genuine and loving person,” recalling that they “became close friends during the show and were roommates on the tour.”
“I’m very grateful to have gone through that incredible experience with him alongside Caleb and Alex,” Woolf wrote. “My thoughts go out to his family. Rest easy my dude.”
Before making strides on American Idol‘s 13th season, Harris had auditioned before in 2010 but “never made it past the first round,” he told the Hollywood Reporter in 2014. He also tried his hand at The X-Factor and The Voice, though he said he “never got through, and it hurt me.”
However, Harris—whose grandfather introduced him to music—was determined to see his dream through.
He added, “I was always on the internet, trying to find a break, looking for which producers I could send my stuff to.”
Following his time on American Idol, Harris took notice on how his life was beginning to change.
“Everywhere I go I’ve been recognized, like at Taco Bell, the mall and airports,” he said. “People ask me, ‘Are you C.J. Harris?’ I think, ‘What in the world is going on?’ I’m shocked. I don’t know them, they’re from a whole other world than me, but they know who I am. It’s amazing.”
