Fans of The Voice and America’s Got Talent are in mourning following the death of Nolan Neal. Nolan, who competed on season 15 of AGT and season 10 of The Voice, was found dead in his apartment in Nashville, his cousin, Dylan Seals, told TMZ on July 19, 2022. The musician was 41. Dylan said that Nolan lived with him for four months before the COVID-19 pandemic, and they spent their time “jamming out and making music” together.
The rising musician’s cause of death was revealed on Oct. 17, 2022 as “acute combined drug toxicity,” according to Page Six. A spokesperson at the Davidson County Medical Examiner’s office told the publication morphine, methamphetamine, fentanyl, and acetyl fentanyl were found in his system and that his death was ruled an accident. As Nolan’s family, friends, and fans deal with the sudden loss, here’s what we know about this young star whose light was dimmed far too soon.
Nolan Was From Music City
“I was born in Nashville and moved to East Tennessee and raised there,” Nolan said in a 2020 interview with WBIR 10 News, and according to TV Overmind, his parents were both professional musicians. Nolan followed into the family business. His Facebook bio once reportedly stated that he “has written and performed alongside the likes of Rob Cavallo, Steve Thompson, Desmond Child, Shinedown, Saliva, Parmalee, Tonic, Alisan Porter, Aaron Gibson,” and many others.
He Released A Handful Of Albums
Nolan released The Road to Now in 2006, The Wire in 2013, and his last full-length, NasviLA, in 2018. He also worked with others, including the rock band Saliva. Nolan’s Apr. 7 Facebook post commemorated his work on Saliva’s Love, Lies & Therapy album reaching 50 million streams. “When the plaque costs more than what you earned,” he joked.
Nolan Did Well On Both ‘AGT’ and ‘The Voice’
Nolan made a name for himself on both reality competitions. On America’s Got Talent, he made it as far as the quarterfinals on the strength of his voice and his original compositions. On The Voice, Nolan blew away the judges before joining Adam Levine’s team. He made it as far as the knockout round, and was eliminated.
Nolan Neal Struggled With Addiction
“I remember I got clean in 2010; May 15, went to rehab. Stayed clean,” Nolan told WBIR. “I joined the rock band Hinder, they were all about drinking and partying. This is not their fault. I had decided I wanted to drink like a normal person. I remember trying to be normal and fitting in. I remember going to a bar and ordering a drink. I tried to hide it. I remember pretending to be normal. I was just lying to myself telling myself that I could control it.”
During Nolan’s time on The Voice, he “kind of lost my way on the voice and continued drinking. “You can see it. I can see it.”
He Lost His Father To Mental Illness
On AGT, Nolan revealed that he was 26 when father committed suicide. “My dad, he was a good guy, but he was just unwell,” Nolan said on the show. “I felt like my dad loved me, but when it happened, I really felt like I didn’t matter that much. I was like, ‘Oh, I wasn’t important enough for him to stick around.’ I blamed myself, for sure.”
“The hook of this song is ‘Lost for the last time.’ It’s about someone who thinks that they don’t deserve anything because of the things they’ve done,” says Nolan. “I hope that it connects with you all, that will be the real win for me.”
“Whenever we talk about my dad on the show, I always forget. It opens up scars, wounds,” Nolan told WBIR. “I remember coming home from the first audition. 16 hours we talked about it and then I went and sang. Maybe 12 hours. I swore I wouldn’t choke up.”