A former contestant from “The Voice” shared a “funny positive story” about his experience on the show less than two weeks before his death. Ryan Whyte Maloney impressed the mentors when he appeared on the show in 2014 and performed the song “Lights.”
Whyte Maloney managed to get all four mentors to turn around, and he ended up on mentor Blake Shelton’s team. He made it to Shelton’s Top 5 that season.
On January 28, People reported that Whyte Maloney died at the age of 44. According to People, the Clark County Coroner in Las Vegas, Nevada, confirmed the musician’s death. The coroner listed Whyte Maloney’s cause of death as a gunshot wound to the head, People added, with the singer dying by suicide.
On January 17, Whyte Maloney shared a video from “The Voice” on his Instagram page. It was a clip from the finale of his season, and he performed “Summertime.” He had Morgan Wallen and a handful of other performers on stage with him, and the experience was still quite special to him now, a decade later.
“Story time OK! Here’s a funny positive story,” he wrote.
He continued, “I was at home all depressed after the voice. I was trying to pick up the pieces of putting my life together and was getting used to waking up to 60,000 Facebook messages of people who said they knew me that was hilarious.”
Whyte Maloney wrote that then he received a call from the show asking if he would return to perform during the finale. The clip he shared on Instagram was the result, and the musician wrote it was the “Best time of my life ever!”
The Musician Was Grateful for a Flood of Birthday Wishes 2 Weeks Before He Died
On January 16, Whyte Maloney shared a video on Instagram thanking his fans for their birthday messages. He wrote, “I’m overflowing with gratitude for the lovely birthday wishes and affection I received today. Your kindness truly warms my heart. Thank you a million times over!”
Whyte Maloney’s last social media post was an Instagram Story. The short video uploaded on January 27 showed the singer at a restaurant and he noted there were “nine fine Irishmen” gathering for a private party He seemed excited for the evening and said they’d be “rocking it.”
That last video was seemingly less than 24 hours before Whyte Maloney’s death.
If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, you can reach the toll-free National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by dialing 988. Help is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week with assistance in English and Spanish. You can also speak with a trained crisis counselor 24/7 by texting HOME to 741741 to reach the Crisis Text Line.
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