American Idol Contestant Joanne Borgella 1982-2014

[Zoneboy]

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American Idol contestant, plus size model and designer Joanne Borgella died Friday evening from a rare form of cancer, according to several of her colleagues and close friends.

In addition to appearing on the NUVOtv hit Curvy Girls, Borgella enjoyed a career as a successful plus size model and she made it into the Top 12 Girls category on the seventh season of American Idol in 2008.

As a model, Joanne has modeled for top brands like Ashley Stewart, Macy’s and Nordstrom and has been featured in Seventeen, Essence and InStyle.

In October 2013 Joanne shared a video alerting her fans that she had been diagnosed with cancer. Through a series of videos, Joanne continued to update those following her journey.

“It’s a rare case because it’s spread to my chest,” Joanne shared during her first video, “but it’s really not about a stage [of disease]. God is with me and I feel his presence every day. I just wanted to share this information with everyone to let them know what I’m going through and I’m going to update everyone every week as much as I can.”

If you follow Joanne on social media, then you are aware of how frequently she discussed her faith as she dealt with this disease.

So many peers and fans have expressed how inspired they are and have been by her strength, positive attitude and her beautiful spirit.

As more details are available, we will update you, but we want to take this time to send our deepest condolences to Joanne’s family, friends and fans.

To read more about Joanne’s extraordinary career visit her website JoanneBorgella.com