Tragic news is once again being shared about an American Idol alum. The longstanding singing competition series has seen its fair share of scandals over the years, but this time reports have surfaced that 17-year-old Caleb Kennedy was involved in a car accident that took the life of a man in South Carolina. Kennedy competed on American Idol in 2021 and managed to climb his way to the Top 5, but since that time, he has struggled after being kicked off of the show.
Last year, Kennedy was entangled in controversy after a video surfaced of him with another person who was wearing a hood similar to that of the Ku Klux Klan.
In more recent news, Kennedy has reportedly been “charged with felony driving under the influence resulting in death,” reports PEOPLE. Larry Duane, 54, has been identified as the man who was the victim in this tragedy. He was taken to a hospital and reportedly pronounced dead hours later.
“A 2011 Ford pickup was traveling north on W. Murph Road when the vehicle traveled onto a private drive at 269 W. Murph Road and struck a building,” an officer told PEOPLE. “A person inside the building sustained fatal injury as a result of the collision.”
“The driver is identified as Caleb Andrew Kennedy, 17-year-old male from Roebuck, South Carolina,” they added. “This crash remains under investigation by the South Carolina Highway Patrol. There will be no further updates at this time.”
It is unclear what punished the teen is looking at if convicted.
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