'American Idol' star pays tribute to murdered father
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American Idol fans were not ready for the emotional rollercoaster one contestant's audition would take them on.
Freddie McClendon appeared on the Sunday, March 23 episode of the singing competition show, where he auditioned in front of the judges — Carrie Underwood, Lionel Richie, and Luke Bryan — but he didn't perform a song any of them would recognize. The 19-year-old aspiring singer opted to perform an original song he had written titled "You Never Loved Him," almost one year after his father, Davis McClendon, was murdered in 2023.
"I really started doing it seriously about a year ago. My dad passed away," Freddie told the judges before adding, "My dad was killed about a year ago in May 2023, and it became a national and statewide news story and a lot of things. Everyone was just kinda focusing on his death, and I wanted to tell the story of his life."
Freddie's father's death was originally believed to be a hit-and-run accident by police investigators. In October 2024, William "Bud" Ackerman — the estranged husband of Davis' girlfriend, Meredith Haynie — was found guilty of intentionally striking Davis with his truck, according to E! News. Ackerman was reportedly sentenced to 45 years in prison.
The story surrounding the demise of Freddie's father was highly publicized and featured on local news at the time. The Idol contestant spoke about what it was like to go through that experience during his audition.
"I miss him every day," he told the judges and viewers, adding, "And while you're already dealing with this death, you have to deal with all these people talking about the person that he was when they didn't know him like we did. He was something so much bigger than just the true crime story of the week. He was our dad. He meant the world to us."
New episodes of American Idol premiere every Sunday night on ABC, with new episodes available for streaming on Hulu the next day.