Doug Kiker, ‘American Idol’ Contestant Known as ‘The Singing Garbage Man,’ Dies at 32
Written by djfrosty on March 13, 2025
American Idol contestant Doug Kiker has died at age 32.
The singer’s sister, Angela Evans, shared the news with a Facebook post on Wednesday, writing, “It is with a heavy heart that we have to announce the passing of my brother Douglas Kiker.”
“He was sooo loved and will be missed by so many!” she continued. “[You’re] singing with the Angel’s now Bubba Please pray for our family as we go [through] this very difficult time.”
Donna Kiker Carrillos-Ramirez, another family member, also posted about Doug’s death on Facebook. “Today I got the call that no one wants to get,” she wrote. “We lost an amazing person today. He had the biggest smile and knew how to make you laugh.”
She added, “Douglas Kiker you will forever be missed. Fly high. Say hey to grandma.”
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Neither post shared Doug’s cause of death.
The Mobile, Alabama, singer competed on season 18 of American Idol in 2020, where he earned the nickname “The Singing Garbage Man” thanks to his day job as a sanitation worker. His audition moved then-judge Katy Perry to tears, with Doug performing Rascal Flatts’ “Bless the Broken Road.” Though he was eliminated the following round after singing Marvin Gaye’s “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” Doug was later invited back to virtually perform “Bless the Broken Road” again with the country trio.
In 2021, Doug was arrested and charged with third-degree domestic violence. The next year, an independent film produced in Doug’s home city titled Garbage Man premiered on Vimeo. The project found him portraying a fictionalized version of himself, with his character working as a bouncer at a club hosting a singing competition.
Doug is survived by two daughters, pictures of whom he sometimes posted on Instagram. In his bio on the platform, he described himself as “just regular guy trying to make it who found love in music!!!!!!”