Palm Beach County native gets golden ticket during American Idol audition

Palm Beach County native, Willie Spence, left the American Idol judges speechless on the episode that aired on Feb. 21 as reported by The Palm Beach Post.  He received a golden ticket from the judges which allowed him to automatically move onto the next round on the show. Receiving a golden ticket is not an easy task and requires the contestant to receive a ‘yes’ from all three judges, which Spence was able to achieve.

 Singing the song “Diamonds” by Rihanna, Spence dedicated his career to his family during his audition. Spence also talked about the struggles that he had before making it to American Idol. Spence speaks out about the doctors informing him of fluid in his lungs. Only a year before his audition, Spence was in the hospital due to his health but has now successfully surpassed his personal goals.

Spence mentions how after focusing on his health, he was able to lose over 180 pounds and decided to focus on his singing career. Spence has successfully received the golden ticket and will move on to the next round. American Idol airs on Sundays at 8 p.m.