Meet Althea Grace, a contestant from American Idol Season 19 has Finals in May 2021.
Although Althea did not make it to the Top 24, her journey on the reality singing competition was quite memorable. She especially touched millions of hearts when she performed her original song “Saturday Morning” for her daughter who nearly died of liver failure.
Read on and discover all about Althea and how her cutest bubbles are doing.
What does Althea Grace’s daughter have?
So Althea Grace’s only daughter Lennon, whom she named after John Lennon, was diagnosed with a rare genetic disease called tuberous sclerosis complex, or TSC, at just 10 months old.
TSC, as you may know, is thought to cause mostly non-cancerous (benign) tumors to develop in various parts of the body, most commonly affecting the brain, skin, kidneys, heart, eyes, and lungs. And while there is no cure for the disease, there are a number of medications that can be used to relieve its symptoms.
For the first 10 months after Lennon was born, she was perfectly healthy. Her touring musician mother even took her on tour with her.
So when the doctors informed Althea of her daughter’s diagnosis, she was terrified.
The next two years were the “most difficult” of Althea’s life. Lennon needed a liver transplant, a central line and G-tube, underwent numerous surgeries and spent nearly half of his life in a hospital bed.
And in the middle of Lennon’s 90-day hospital stay, Althea learned about the American Idol audition. “To be honest, ‘Idol’ was never something I thought about. But, in the midst of the chaos, I thought, ‘Why not?’”
Determined, Althea left Lennon in the care of her father, Dave; she believed she was doing so not only for herself, but also for Lennon and her future.
Fast forward to today, October 2021, and Althea shares that she and her family are out of the constant state of emergency they were in six months ago. She also updates her daughter that — Lennon is now preparing to start kindergarten — she has an amazing team of therapists helping her keep track of milestones. “Her speech is improving dramatically every day. She receives most of her feeding through a G-tube, but hopefully one day she won’t need it anymore.”
And while things may be different as Lennon grows up, Althea added, “she will always be my strong, brave, wild child.”
Who is Althea Grace’s husband?
Althea Grace has always been open about raising her daughter as a single mother. She gave birth to her daughter when she was 19.
It is not known whether she was ever married or had a husband.
Althea mentioned losing her teenage years to a man who may be Lennon’s father. It’s also possible that he’s the same ex that Althea frequently trolls on her TikTok videos.
Althea Grace Net Worth
Althea Grace, who describes her music as pop, but not modern pop — “Like The Faces or The Beatles being called pop,” has an estimated net worth of $300,000 as of October 2021.
The singer-songwriter, guitarist and bassist has played at top festivals and venues in Chicago, the Midwest and beyond and has achieved many other accomplishments since joining American Idol.
Find her products on the website: altheagracemusic.bigcartel.com.
Althea Grace’s American Idol Journey
Althea sang an original song called “Saturday Morning” and received all three Yes votes and a golden ticket in American Idol audition
For Round 2 of Hollywood Week, she performed a duet with Camille Lamb called “Buy One Get One Free.” In the middle of rehearsals, she received a text message from her dad saying he had to take Lennon to the emergency room.
Months later American Idol Althea wrote an article for HuffPost in which she revealed all — how she got through the tough round and what the next round was like.
So in the Showstopper round, she sang “We Can Work It Out” by The Beatles. And in the Final Verdict, the judges told her she didn’t make it to the Top 24.
Still, Althea feels like she’s accomplished something big. And one day she hopes Lennon will look back on her time together. American Idol and feel proud of her.
Althea, who won the McHenry County Fair at age 13, started playing music in Algonquin when she could barely walk.
Who are Althea Grace’s parents and siblings?
Althea Grace was named after a Grateful Dead song by her music-loving parents, Meghan and Dave Roggenbuck.
Althea’s parents always believed in her, pushed her, and told her she could do it even when she didn’t think she could.
Althea also credits her grandmother, Fran Traub, for helping her realize her dream.
As for siblings, Althea has an older brother, Carrick Roggenbuck, who is also affectionately known as “Kiko” to his loved ones. Carrick, according to his social media, attended Dundee-Crown High School. He lives in Algonquin, Illinois.
You know, Althea herself is an alumna of Dundee-Crown High School.
Related FAQs
Althea Grace is believed to have been born on July 9, 1999. Based on this, she will turn 30 in 2021.
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How tall is Althea Grace?
Althea Grace, who has a tattoo of John Lee Hooker lyrics, is over 5’5″.
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Does Althea Grace use Twitter and TikTok?
Yes, Althea Grace is also on Twitter and TikTok.
You can follow her on Twitter @altheagmusic (682 followers) and TikTok @altheagracemusic (23.6k followers).
Additionally, Althea has 14.2k followers on Instagram @altheagracemusic. Additionally, 7.3k people follow her on Facebook ‘Althea Grace’ and 472 people have subscribed to her YouTube channel ‘Althea Grace Band’.