Clay Aiken
Although this fresh-faced, family-friendly crooner was the runner-up on the second edition of American Idol, he went on to become one of the show's most famous stars not to mention the...
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BirthDate BirthPlace |
11/29/1978
Raleigh, NC |
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| Created the Bubel/Aiken Foundation to help children with neurological disabilities. The foundation was named for Diane Bubel, the woman who persuaded him to audition for American Idol. |
| Changed his last name from Grissom to Aiken, his mother's maiden name, at age 20 after severing all ties with his father. |
| Planned to try out for The Amazing Race before turning to American Idol. |
| Hit song "The Way" was co-written by Enrique Iglesias. |
| Nicknamed "Gonzo" while working at a YMCA kids' camp in Raleigh, NC. |
| Was rejected at American Idol's Charlotte, NC, audition but made it through an Atlanta, GA, audition the next weekend. |
