It was a jam-packed season on American Idol. Carrie Underwood, the winner in 2005, replaced Katy Perry alongside longtime judges Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan. Jamal Roberts earned the coveted, first-place, season 23 Idol crown, becoming "the first Black male winner since season 2's Ruben Studdard, per American Songwriter. Win or lose, contestants' professional aspirations do not end after the show's finale each year. With the future in mind, Nina Daig, a contestant from last season, held a songwriting retreat at her Virginia home. One of those in attendance was Josh King, 24. He was also a singer in the running for the top prize from season 23. Unfortunately, however, the getaway at Daig's home turned out much differently than King expected when he took ill.
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Josh King Impressed Viewers With His Singing Talent
King made it into the elite final 8. He performed skillful renditions of "All By Myself" by Celine Dion and "Rolling in the Deep" by Adele. King hoped to stay connected to the people he befriended on Idol. So he journeyed to Daig's Virginia home from North Carolina for some intensive songwriting.
He Felt Oddly Unwell
Describing what happened on Instagram, King explained, "So the first day went great. I got to hang out with the gang and got a good night's sleep. Next day was good too, hung out by the river, sang at the special Olympics with everyone, wrote some songs, but then I started to feel a bit iffy (if that's a way to put it.) Went to sleep and woke up the next morning entirely unable to move. I was in such excruciating pain that I evacuated anything that remained in my stomach."
King Was Brought To A Hospital By Daig's Husband
He seemed seriously ill. "My heart rate was a steady 125-130 bpm for most of Saturday (resting), and any ounce of movement hurt like hell," King posted on Instagram. He shared that the "official diagnosis" was systemic inflammatory response syndrome, or SIRS. However, there was some doubt about that.
King needed to be monitored in the hospital because he was told there was so much strain on his heart. "The cause was a combination of things, dehydration, fatigue, stress, heat exhaustion, etc.," he wrote. Now, happily, he says he is "on the mend." We are very glad to hear that, Josh!
