Honestly might be one of the most heartbreakingly beautiful stories that I've ever had the pleasure of hearing. One of the three finalists in yesterday's season finale of American Idol, had quite the emotional motivation. John Foster, to be more specific. An 18-year-old with an absolute heart of gold. He mentioned during a segment in the finale that a dear friend was his motivation. And the note she wrote him months before she died gave him the extra boost to audition for the show. Masslive has the full scoop.
Videos by Wide Open Country
The Motivation For Playing
As I said at the top, John Foster had a close friend who sadly passed away. Her name was Maggie Dunn, and she passed during John's junior year of High School.
It was quite obviously a very emotional moment in the young man's life. And naturally, as with any songwriter who loses someone close to them, he wrote a song about them. Presumably to help with the grieving process.
And it was a beautiful song. He played it on an episode back in April. The song was so good, in fact, that it helped him move on from the Top 20 to the Top 14. The title of it was "Tell That Angel I Love Her." You can hear a rendition of it below:
Beautiful right? Well, during that very same finale that this clip is from, listeners were shown even more of their backstory.
The Clip In Question
During the clip, the letter that Dunn, John's friend, wrote is read, and good lord it's a tear jerker.
I won't type out the whole thing, but there are some beautiful sentiments in it. For instance, Dunn wrote, "You have such an amazing voice, and you should let everyone hear it." And she also added towards the end, "Your voice is too good to go unheard."
John also added about his friend and the letter, "If it wouldn't have been for her, I don't know if I ever would have been in the position that I am today." And with the beautiful country voice this kid has, I'm glad he worked up the courage.
I hope that Maddie Dunn continues to rest in peace, and I'm glad people like John will continue to cherish and remember her.
