On June 9, Josh King shared a photo from a hospital bed, flanked by fellow American Idol contestants Skylie Marie Thompson and Grayson Torrence. The three had been participating in a songwriting retreat in Virginia, hosted by former contestant Nina Daig, when King’s health suddenly declined.
According to King’s detailed Instagram post, the camp began on a high note. He enjoyed time making music and felt well-rested. But the situation quickly shifted when he began feeling “a bit iffy,” as he described it. The next morning, things took a frightening turn—King woke up entirely unable to move and in such intense pain that he became physically ill.
Concerned for his condition, Daig’s husband drove King to the emergency room, where he spent the remainder of the weekend. His resting heart rate remained elevated at 125–130 bpm, and doctors diagnosed him with SIRS—Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome. The cause, they explained, was a combination of dehydration, stress, fatigue, and heat exhaustion. King also experienced heart strain and was kept for two nights under observation, forcing him to miss the rest of the retreat.
Now released and recovering, King ended his post by thanking the American Idol community for their support, noting that his social media silence was due to his health condition. He assured fans that he is “on the mend.”
King made it to the Top 8 of American Idol Season 23, where he performed Michael Bublé’s “Home,” a selection by Lionel Richie, and later joined Jamal Roberts and Gabby Samone in a performance of “Dancing on the Ceiling.” In a heartbreaking moment, he found himself in the bottom two with Mattie Pruitt. The judges ultimately chose to save Pruitt, ending King’s run in the competition.
King, 24, originally auditioned in Nashville with “Over the Rainbow” and “My Girl,” earning “yeses” from Richie and Luke Bryan. Carrie Underwood, however, voted no. Despite that, King went on to become a fan favorite, remembered for his soulful voice and his quiet acts of generosity—like his final, graceful moment in the Top 8, when he motioned for the judges to save Mattie over himself.
