Alice Tan Ridley, a singer who shared her highly effective vocals on the New York Metropolis subway earlier than acting on “America’s Got Talent” and the mom of Oscar nominee Gabourey Sidibe, has died.
Ridley died March 25 in New York Metropolis, her household introduced in an obituary printed on the Sconiers Funeral Residence web site. A reason for demise was not revealed. She was 72.
The obituary described Ridley, identified amongst family members as “Tan,” as a “pillar of the New York City singing circuit.” Singing was Ridley’s “God-given” expertise and she or he shared it all through town with performances at quite a few subway stations, primarily at Herald Sq., the obituary stated. She was additionally a paid singer on the well-known Cotton Membership of Harlem.
Ridley, a former trainer, was finest identified for her time on the fifth season of “America’s Got Talent.” As daughter Gabourey obtained awards-season love for her shifting efficiency in “Precious,” Ridley appeared on “AGT” at age 57 in pursuit of her personal desires. She wowed audiences and judges Sharon Osbourne, Howie Mandel and Piers Morgan along with her soulful rendition of Etta James’ “At Last.” The trio of judges unanimously agreed to maneuver Ridley ahead, and all through the competitors she continued to showcase her vocal talents by performing hits by Creedence Clearwater Revival and Gladys Knight.
To Osbourne, Ridley was a “natural performer” with a “powerhouse of a voice.” Ridley’s “America’s Got Talent” journey ended on the semifinals after she carried out her rendition of Whitney Houston’s “I Have Nothing.”
Whereas “America’s Got Talent” was the most well-liked platform for Ridley, it wasn’t her just one. After her “AGT” elimination, Ridley continued to deliver her music to varied levels together with New York’s Highline Ballroom and the daytime house with an look on Harry Connick Jr.’s speak present “Harry.”
“I love to sing but, you know, I saw a need in the subway stations because people are sometimes sad about their jobs, about their day or whatever and they have a frown on their face,” she instructed the entertainer in 2017. “I like to turn that frown into a smile.”
Singer Alice Tan Ridley, identified for performing within the New York Metropolis subway system, was a semifinalist on “America’s Got Talent.”
(Pini Siluk)
After “AGT,” Ridley additionally launched her debut album “Never Lost My Way” in 2016. Ridley was additionally a contestant on “Showtime at the Apollo,” appeared within the 2005 documentary “Rize” and the TV expertise present “30 Seconds to Fame,” in line with the obituary.
Ridley, born Dec. 21, 1952, in Lumpkin, Ga., was the second youngest of eight youngsters to folks Melton Lee Ridley and Lessie B. Ridley. Her sister was activist Dorothy Pitman Hughes, who died in December 2022.
The singer graduated from Stewart County Excessive College in 1969 and pursued training, finally receiving her educating license. She married Ibnou Sidibe in 1980 and so they share two youngsters: Gabourey and son Ahmed Sidibe. The “Empire” actor stated in 2017 that her mother and father separated early in her childhood after it was revealed her father had a second household. Regardless of this, the ex-spouses remained cordial, the obituary stated.
Along with her youngsters, Ridley is survived by brothers James D. “Jimmy” Ridley and Tommy Lee “Tom-Tom” Cherry; sisters Julia Van Mater-Miller and Mildred Ridley Dent; grandchildren Cooper and Maya, and several other different family members.
The household will host a funeral service Saturday in Georgia adopted by a burial close to her birthplace.
