PHILADELPHIA—”The Voice” star Anthony Riley was found dead on June 5 at the age of 28. The cause of his death has been ruled a suicide.
The Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed that Riley hanged himself. The musician was a popular street performer in Philadelphia.
The musician took his talent to NBC’s reality competition series this past January where he performed James Brown’s “I Got You (I Feel Good)” during his audition. The show’s judges, Blake Shelton, Adam Levine, Christina Aguilera, and Pharrell Williams, immediately found interest in Riley’s talent.
He later left the show to seek help for substance abuse.
The late Riley’s sister Halima Miley told the Inquirer that a public memorial will be held.
“The city was his family. Everybody knew him, he couldn’t walk two steps without someone saying, ‘Anthony, how you doin’?’ ”
She continued, “The public loved him.”