Michael Johns

S7 · Eliminated 8th

Latest documented update, November 18, 2014

Michael Johns, born Michael John Lee, finished eighth on American Idol in 2008. His album Hold Back My Heart was released on June 23, 2009, and the single Now or Never on March 14, 2014. He died in Tustin, California, on August 1, 2014; on November 18, 2014, the coroner reported dilated cardiomyopathy as the cause.⁠[1][2]

Career

Before the show

  1. 2002In 2002 he was signed to Maverick Records as a solo artist under his birth name, Michael Lee.⁠[1]
  2. August 26, 2003The Rising released the five-track EP Live at the Apple Store on Maverick on August 26, 2003.The Rising⁠[1]
  3. September 16, 2003The Rising released the 11-track album Future Unknown on Maverick on September 16, 2003. Its song Cradle received some airplay, and the album was also released on iTunes in 2008.The Rising⁠[1]
  4. 2006He started using the name Michael Johns in 2006 as an homage to his stepfather, whose name is John.⁠[1]

After the show

  1. July 1, 2008–September 13, 2008As the eighth-place finalist, he joined the American Idols Live! Tour 2008, which ran from July 1 to September 13, 2008.⁠[1][9]
  2. December 2008In December 2008 he released Another Christmas, a one-track release on TRP records of a song he wrote in 2006. Half the proceeds were advertised for the Red Cross and half to fight ALS.⁠[1]
  3. 2009Heart on My Sleeve debuted at number 27 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart and peaked at number 22 in 2009.⁠[1][5]
  4. 2009Hold Back My Heart debuted at number 97 on the Billboard 200 with 5,000 copies sold, and peaked at number 12 on Independent Albums.⁠[1]
  5. January 20, 2009Three Rings Projects released the soundtrack Don't Look Down on January 20, 2009. He sang on all but one of the vocal tracks. The 17-track album, Don't Look Down – The Height of Competition, is credited to TRP records.⁠[1]
  6. April 14, 2009Heart on My Sleeve, written by James Morrison and John Shanks, was released on iTunes on April 14, 2009, on TRP and Downtown. It sold 5,000 copies in two weeks.⁠[5]
  7. June 23, 2009His third studio album, Hold Back My Heart, was released on June 23, 2009, through Downtown Records.⁠[1][6]
  8. June 11, 2012He released the three-song EP Love & Sex on BUTR Records on June 11, 2012.⁠[1][7]
  9. February 28, 2014He released the single Day Breaks Sun on February 28, 2014.⁠[2][10]
  10. March 14, 2014He released the single Now or Never on March 14, 2014.⁠[2]
  11. August 1, 2014He died in Tustin, California, on August 1, 2014, at age 35. BBC News on August 3, 2014, reported that Fox and his family confirmed the death and that no cause was given. The article reported that The Hollywood Reporter attributed it to a blood clot in his ankle.⁠[1][11]
  12. November 18, 2014On November 18, 2014, the coroner reported that he had died of dilated cardiomyopathy, and that a fatty liver also contributed to his death.⁠[1]

Date not documented

  1. After Maverick, he signed with Columbia Records, which later dropped him.⁠[1]
  2. As a teenager he played the Coachman in Pinocchio at the Regal Theatre and sang in the choir for Anything Goes at His Majesty's Theatre.⁠[1]
  3. He was in a band called Film for 18 months.Film⁠[1]

Discography

TitleTypeYearLabelRIAA certificationU.S. salesListen
Live at the Apple Store⁠[1]The RisingEP2003Maverick Records
Future Unknown⁠[1]The RisingAlbum2003Maverick Records
Michael Johns⁠[1][2]Album2007
Another Christmas⁠[1]Single2008TRP Records
Don't Look Down – The Height of Competition⁠[1][2][12]Soundtrack2009Three Rings Projects
Heart on My Sleeve⁠[5]Single2009TRP/Downtown
Hold Back My Heart⁠[1][2][6]Album2009Downtown Records20,000⁠[1][6][13]January 2010
Love & Sex⁠[1][2][7]EP2012BUTR RecordsApple Music
Day Breaks Sun⁠[2][10]Single2014BUTR RecordsApple Music
Now or Never⁠[2]Single2014

Awards

Checked October 7, 2026; none found.

Other activity

  • July 2007He auditioned for the seventh season of American Idol at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego in July 2007.⁠[1]
  • April 9, 2008He finished in eighth place, eliminated after singing Dream On in the Top 8 week. Sources give two elimination dates, April 9, 2008, during Idol Gives Back, and April 10, 2008, the Top 8 results show.⁠[1][3]
  • 2012He appeared briefly in a 2012 episode of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.⁠[1]

Sources

13 sources

  1. Michael Johns (singer) (Wikipedia revision 1371353059) — Wikipedia, updated August 26, 2026. Reference work (secondary). Retrieved October 7, 2026.
    Cited parts (8)
    • Lead: “finished in eighth place on the seventh season of American Idol, in 2008”
    • Downtown Records albums table: “Release date: 23 June 2009”
    • Death: “died in Tustin, California on August 1, 2014”
    • Death: “On 18 November 2014, the coroner reported that Johns had died of dilated cardiomyopathy”
    • Lead sentence: “20 October 1978”
    • Infobox, Born line (birth_date): “20 October 1978”
    • Lead sentence: “1 August 2014”
    • Infobox, Died line (death_date): {{death date and age|df=yes|2014|08|01|1978|10|20}}
  2. MusicBrainz release groups for Michael Johns — MusicBrainz. Release database. Retrieved October 7, 2026.
    Cited parts (8)
    • Release group Now or Never: "title":"Now or Never"
    • Release group Now or Never: "first-release-date":"2014-03-14"
    • Release group Day Breaks Sun: "first-release-date":"2014-02-28"
    • Release group Now or Never: "primary-type":"Single"
    • Release group Michael Johns: "first-release-date":"2007"
    • Release group Don't Look Down: "first-release-date":"2009"
    • Release group Hold Back My Heart: "first-release-date":"2009-06-23"
    • Release group Love & Sex EP: "primary-type":"EP"
  3. American Idol season 7 — Wikipedia, updated July 29, 2026. Reference work (secondary). Retrieved October 6, 2026.
    Cited parts (5)
    • Elimination chart row Michael Johns: Pl. 8, Eliminated in the Top 8 column (4/10); ratings table episode 'Top 8 Results', April 10, 2008
    • Idol Gives Back: “Michael Johns was eliminated during Idol Gives Back 2008.”
    • Idol Gives Back: “The Idol Gives Back initiative returned on April 9, 2008.”
    • U.S. Nielsen ratings: “Top 8 Results”
    • U.S. Nielsen ratings: “April 10, 2008”
  4. List of American Idol finalists — Wikipedia, updated June 10, 2026. Reference work (secondary). Retrieved October 6, 2026.
    Cited parts (1)
    • Contestants table, row Michael Johns: season 7, place finish 8th
  5. Heart on My Sleeve (Michael Johns song) (Wikipedia revision 1332692948) — Wikipedia, updated January 13, 2026. Reference work (secondary). Retrieved October 7, 2026.
    Cited parts (8)
    • Infobox: “TRP|[[Downtown Records|Downtown]]”
    • Charts table, 2009: “U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks”
    • Charts table, 2009: “22”
    • Lead: “written by James Morrison and John Shanks”
    • Lead: “The single was released on iTunes, on 14 April 2009.”
    • Charts: “It sold 5,000 copies in two weeks.”
    • Infobox: “released = 14 April 2009”
    • Infobox: “label = {{hlist|TRP|[[Downtown Records|Downtown]]}}”
  6. Hold Back My Heart (Wikipedia revision 1085084721) — Wikipedia, updated April 28, 2022. Reference work (secondary). Retrieved October 7, 2026.
    Cited parts (4)
    • Infobox: “Downtown Records]] (distributed)”
    • Lead: “is the third studio album”
    • Infobox: “released = June 23, 2009”
    • Lead: “It sold a total of 20,000 copies.”
  7. Apple Music lookup Love & Sex EP by Michael Johns — Apple Music. Release database. Retrieved October 7, 2026.
    Cited parts (4)
    • Lookup result: "copyright":"℗ 2012 BUTR Records"
    • Lookup result: "collectionName":"Love & Sex EP"
    • Lookup result: "releaseDate":"2012-06-11T07:00:00Z"
    • Lookup result: "trackCount":3
  8. Crossroads: Michael Lee Of The Rising (archived copy) — Music Morsels (Serge Entertainment Group), published October 2003. News report. Retrieved October 7, 2026.
    Cited parts (1)
    • opening paragraph: “the band which is the brainchild of singer/songwriter Michael Lee”
  9. American Idols Live! Tour 2008 (Wikipedia revision 1371401853) — Wikipedia, updated August 26, 2026. Reference work (secondary). Retrieved October 7, 2026.
    Cited parts (3)
    • Infobox: “start_date = July 1, 2008”
    • Infobox: “end_date = September 13, 2008”
    • Set list lineup: “Michael Johns (8th place)”
  10. Apple Music lookup Day Breaks Sun by Michael Johns — Apple Music. Release database. Retrieved October 7, 2026.
    Cited parts (3)
    • Lookup result: "collectionName":"Day Breaks Sun - Single"
    • Lookup result: "releaseDate":"2014-02-28T08:00:00Z"
    • Lookup result: "copyright":"℗ 2014 BUTR Records"
  11. Michael Johns, American Idol contestant, dies at 35 — BBC News, published August 3, 2014. News report. Retrieved October 7, 2026.
    Cited parts (3)
    • Article body: “American Idol season seven finalist Michael Johns has died at the age of 35.”
    • Article body: “Fox and Johns' family released statements confirming the news”
    • Article body: “No cause of death was given, however Hollywood Reporter said it was due to a blood clot in his ankle.”
  12. Apple Music lookup Shaun White: Don't Look Down — Apple Music. Release database. Retrieved October 7, 2026.
    Cited parts (3)
    • Lookup result: "artistName":"Michael Johns & The Ontic"
    • Lookup result: "releaseDate":"2012-06-13T07:00:00Z"
    • Lookup result: "copyright":"℗ 2021 Ontic Records"
  13. List of American Idol alumni album sales in the United States — Wikipedia, updated September 21, 2026. Reference work (secondary). Retrieved October 6, 2026.
    Cited parts (1)
    • Michael Johns album line: “Hold Back My Heart (2009) #97”

How figures are chosen · Compare Michael Johns with others