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Former America's Got Talent singer Alice Tan Ridley, the mother of Academy Award nominee Gabourey Sidibe, died at the age of 72 last month, according to an obituary published by Sconiers Funeral Home.
Ridley's death was confirmed by her relatives, including her daughter, who starred as the title character in the 2009 film Precious, however, a cause of death was not revealed publicly as of Thursday (April 10) afternoon, the New York Post reports.
Ridley, who worked as a teacher in New York City, was said to be a "pillar of the New York City singing circuit," singing in subway stations for tips before later landing a paid gig at Harlem's Cotton Club. The singer then won $25,000 on the pilot of FOX's 30 Seconds to Fame and later appeared on Showtime at the Apollo.
Ridley later performed 'Amazing Grace' in David LaChapelle's 2005 documentary Rize and 'America the Beautiful' in the 2005 film Heights, as well as winning an Emmy for her part in the 2007 documentary Military Families, before competing on America's Got Talent, finishing as a semi-finalist, in 2010. The singer was reported to have been diagnosed with dementia in 2018, which caused her to retire, according to the Hollywood Reporter.