Marque Lynche

Bio:
Marque “Tate” Lynche (born Marque Syl Lynch Jr. in 1981 in St. Petersburg, Florida) was a former singer and actor. Marque studied at Fordham University, but prior to that, Marque was a cast member of The New Mickey Mouse Club, launched in 1993. The revival of the Disney classic television show also featured Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Justin Timberlake and Ryan Gosling. Where his fellow Mouseketeers went on to music superstardom, Marque’s brush with similar fame came on the third season of American Idol. Marque was eliminated before the selection of the Top 12 contestants, and Fantasia Barrino would go on to win. After his Idol appearance, Marque would appear as Simba in the Broadway adaptation of The Lion King, and as Tyrone in a stage production of Fame. On Dec. 6, 2015, Marque’s roommate found his body in his New York City apartment. The cause of death wasn’t immediately known.

Best Known For:
Marque Lynch was best known as a member of The New Mickey Mouse Club and for his stint on Broadway and on American Idol.

Personal Life:
Marque was the older brother of Michael “Big Mike” Lynche, who made it to the top four of Season 9 of American Idol. Marque had left the entertainment business due to the death of his mother, but prior to his death, he had started releasing music through his Facebook page. In Aug. 2015, Marque was reportedly arrested for illegally jumping a New York City subway turnstile. When he was approached by cops, Marque allegedly lashed out by punching one of them in the face before reportedly smashing the officer in the head with a soda bottle. He was charged with assault. While there was no mention of drugs or alcohol in the police report, Marque reportedly struggled for years with an addiction to prescription painkillers.