It’s really hard to type when you have tears streaming down your face. I awoke this morning to a text telling me that my friend, Nolan Neal, died last night.

For some of you, the name might not mean anything.  For some, there’s the Nolan that spend some time fronting Hinder. The Nolan who appeared and was a contestant a few different times on The Voice and America’s Got Talent.

For others, you remember seeing him several times at The Warehouse, or you saw footage of him performing live here in the Z975 studios, or you heard him on Rock Around the Region.  Those were the intimate moments with Nolan.

There’s the Nolan I know. The tortured soul who struggled with depression and addiction; who fought all of it with a smile and laughter that lit up a room. A voice that just resonated with such passion you felt every word he sang. You felt his pain, you felt his joy, you felt the love of a beautiful soul. Nights of sitting at the bar together at after a show at The Warehouse having a drink, talking, laughing, telling jokes. Knowing how he struggled. Beaming with so much pride seeing him get ever closer to his dream as he impressed judges and audiences on those two shows. Knowing how hard he worked to get sober, to keep his mind right, to keep living.

I have no idea yet what happened. I’m still searching for the answers and trying to figure it all out. So far, the only info has been a statement released via his cousin that he was found dead in his home last night. I will not speculate. The only thing I know for sure is that I am gutted and I am praying to all the gods that those long battled demons didn’t win.

Nolan was an amazing guy inside and out and “talented” doesn’t even begin to cover it. He had everything needed to become a huge star, that household name.

And I am going to miss him so damn much. I will never see a butterfly ever again without wondering if it’s you