The Voice Season 6 alum Ryan Whyte Maloney has died. He was 44. According to the Clark County Coroner in Las Vegas, he died by suicide. The cause of death was a gunshot wound to the head, as broken by People.
Just days before his passing, on Jan. 17, Ryan posted to Instagram about the best time in his life. He wrote, “I was at home all depressed after The Voice. I was trying to pick up the pieces of putting my life together and was getting used to waking up to 60,000 Facebook messages of people who said they knew me that was hilarious and I got a call from The Voice asking me to come back to do the finale and here it is best time of my life ever!”
View the original article to see embedded media.
The alt/country/classic/rock/R&B/hip hop singer from Traverse City, Mich. first came to national attention in 2014 when he auditioned for NBC’s The Voice. His performance of “Lights” by Journey earned him a four-chair turn, and he was selected to join Blake Shelton’s team.
Ryan made it to Blake’s Top 5 before being eliminated. While on The Voice, he recorded four hit singles including “Lights,” Tina Turner‘s “What’s Love Got to Do with It,” “Easy” by Rascal Flatts and “Second Chance” by Shinedown. He returned for the one final performance in the finale.
Related: Get the Details on The Voice Season 27, Including the New Coaches
Ryan began playing the guitar, violin, cello and drums at age 9, and eventually sharpened his skills to write songs. He formed with the band Indulge and recorded the album “Tomorrow’s another Day” in 2005. After 10 years with the band, Ryan went solo and recorded the 12-song album “Where I’ve Been.”
From 2010 to 2013, he performed throughout the country as his original songs “Hillbilly,” “Michigan Moonlight” and “Living with No Directions” were played on country radio in Michigan, Nevada, Colorado and California. In 2021, Ryan performed live music at the M Resort in Las Vegas. In 2024, he came full circle, opening Blake’s Ole Red in Las Vegas, where Ryan had a residency and upcoming dates through the end of February at the time of his death.
If you or someone you know is contemplating suicide or struggling with suicidal thoughts, help is available 24 hours a day through the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988.
Related: Remembering the Stars and Legends We’ve Lost in 2025
