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In the wake of American Idol singer Nikki McKibbin‘s untimely death on Sunday, her fellow contestants, along with the show’s host and a former judge, have taken to social media to pay tribute.

McKibbin died following complications from a brain aneurysm that occurred Wednesday. According to her husband, Craig Sadler, the singer was kept on life support in order to fulfill her wish of being an organ donor.

More from TVLineNikki McKibbin, American Idol Season 1 Contestant, Dead at 42American Idol: Bobby Bones Returning as In-House Mentor for Season 19American Idol Judges Are All Returning for Season 19 -- But What About.

Nearly 14 years have passed since the first season of American Idol. Yup, Kelly Clarkson has been in our lives for over a decade. The fifteenth (and final) season finale airs on Wednesday and Thursday nights, and we're getting nostalgic about it - "it" being the show and the year 2002 in general (a gallon of gas cost $1.61. $1.61!). Here are some of the moments, people, performances and quirks from American Idol Season 1 that we almost forgot about. 1. Calling in to vote.Remember when the only way to vote for our favorite contestants was to pick up the telephone to call? Once again,...

Nearly 14 years have passed since the first season of American Idol. Yup, Kelly Clarkson has been in our lives for over a decade.

The fifteenth (and final) season begins on Wednesday, and we're getting nostalgic about it – "it" being the show and the year 2002 in general (a gallon of gas cost $1.61. $1.61!).

Here are some of the moments, people, performances and quirks from American Idol Season 1 that we almost forgot about.

1. Calling in to vote.

Remember when the only way to vote for our favorite contestants was to pick up the telephone to call? Once again, we are confronted with the...

Nearly 14 years have passed since the first season of American Idol. Yup, Kelly Clarkson has been in our lives for over a decade. The fifteenth (and final) season begins on Wednesday, and we're getting nostalgic about it - "it" being the show and the year 2002 in general (a gallon of gas cost $1.61. $1.61!). Here are some of the moments, people, performances and quirks from American Idol Season 1 that we almost forgot about. 1. Calling in to vote.Remember when the only way to vote for our favorite contestants was to pick up the telephone to call? Once again, we are confronted with...

There’s this weird part of the week — from Friday morning till Monday evening — when not a single major TV network airs a reality singing competition. It’s terrible, I know, but it also gives me a lot of time to ponder American Idol history. (Everyone does this in their free time, yes?) And my latest flight of Idol fancy got me mulling this question: Was Season 11′s Top 10 the strongest — top to bottom — in show history? Let’s examine:

For starters, I’d automatically rule out the five seasons with three or more Top 10 contestants who probably wouldn’t have outlasted Season 11′s No.

Simon Cowell recently said, “You don’t compete for the silver or the bronze. You may not get the gold, but you die trying.”

Well, this Thursday morning he woke up to a mixed alloy, as the X Factor premiere fell well shy of American Idol numbers, lost audience throughout its two-hour run, and in total viewers placed third in the 9 o’clock hour behind Criminal Minds (which was on par with its year-ago opener) and a double helping of Modern Family (aka the night’s most-watched and top-rated program).

The X Factor Series Premiere: What Was Your Favorite Act?...

The role call of seventh-place finishers on American Idol ranges from the back-to-back eyes-wide-open nightmares of Sanjaya Malakar and Kristy Lee Cook in Seasons 6 and 7 to the remarkable success story of Season 3 Wild Card Jennifer Hudson, who overcame the Pepto-Bismol Dress From Hell to scale Oscar- and Grammy-winning heights. In between those two extremes, though, the not-so-lucky No. 7 spot has been occupied by singers who showed early promise, then flamed out (Anwar Robinson, Kimberly Caldwell) and those whose “package artist” good looks carried them further than their vocal abilities might’ve otherwise suggested (Ryan Starr, Tim Urban, Ace Young). (Nope,...

Eighty-four years from now, Thia Megia will celebrate her 99th birthday, the last “Charlie Chapman” movie in existence will crumble into dust, and the University of Reality Television at Seaside Heights, NJ, will replace Harvard as the nation’s most prestigious house of higher education. When students at said institution open their History of American Idol: Season 10 textbooks to the chapter on Top 13 Performance Night, they may be surprised to find only murky recollections of the actual musical numbers.

Oh sure, they’ll read about Lauren Alaina pouting, Thia Megia crying, Haley Reinhart yodeling, and Jacob Lusk howling like...

The Season 10 premiere of "American Idol" is less than a week away and to make the days go by a bit faster, Zap2it decided to take a stroll down memory lane and re-evaluate the previous nine seasons.

Each day leading up to the premiere on Wednesday, Jan. 19, we will post a retrospective on each season. We're breaking it down into four categories: Best Performance, Worst Performance, Most Underrated Idol and most Overrated Idol. At the end, we will decide how the season stacks up against the rest, rating it as great, good, or not-so-good.

Yesterday, it was a look back at Season 1, the good (Kelly Clarkson!), the bad (Nikki McKibbin) and the ugly (Ryan Starr's wardrobe). Now it's Season 2's turn, which had arguably the most debated finale ever, as only 130,000 votes separated Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken. We all know Ruben took home the title, but did he really deserve to him?...

The Season 10 premiere of "American Idol" is only a week away and to make the days go by a bit faster, Zap2it decided to take a stroll down memory lane and re-evaluate the previous nine seasons.

Each day leading up to the premiere on Wednesday, Jan. 19, we will post a retrospective on each season. We're breaking it down into four categories: Best Performance, Worst Performance, Most Underrated Idol and most Overrated Idol. At the end, we will decide how the season stacks up against the rest, rating it as great, good, or not-so-good.

First up, the inaugural 2002 Season. We kind of miss the more intimate, smaller feeling of the show when it was still figuring itself out and had a touch of innocence to it. It produced one of the show's most successful "Idol"  winners ever and had that extremely awkward co-host Brian Dunkleman (remember him? Bueller?) competing with Ryan Seacrest for more screen-time.

These are the "Idol" hopefuls we'll never forget, from Sanjaya to Taylor Hicks.

By James Montgomery

Sanjaya Malakar

Photo: Frank Micelotta/ Getty Images

Over the course of eight stupendous seasons, "American Idol" has showcased some of the best undiscovered singers in the country and a few who, well, were probably better left that way.

There have been plenty of highs and just as many lows. So, in celebration of Wednesday night's (May 20) Lambert vs. Allen finale, we're taking a look back at some of those who came before them — and were quickly forgotten. Because while there have been plenty of "Idol" also-rans who were really good, there are just as many who weren't. And really, we'll remember them a lot longer than the talented ones.

So here's a look back at some folks who reached for the stars (even though they probably shouldn't have) and didn't let a little thing...