Kris Allen Cancels Tonight Show Appearance Due to Family Death

So sad for Kris; hope he can be with his family and give his mom the support she needs.

I guess his grandmother had been very sick for a long time. But it’s still very sad news. Condolences to the entire Allen family.

Hang in there Kris! Much love to him and his family.

My deepest condolences to the Allen Family.

This from accesshollywood.com:

“A rep for 19 Entertainment told Access Hollywood that Kris would not be canceling any dates on the tour. “

May she rest in peace and condolences to the entire family.

Sad news. My thoughts are w/ the Allen family.

My thoughts and prayers are with the Allen family

Terrible news. My thoughts are with them, my condolences

That’s terrible. My prayers are with his family.

I’m happy that Allison will get this opportunity, though. She will indeed rock Conan’s face off!

So sad for Kris..my thoughts are with his family….

Happy for Allison…

So sad for Kris, condolences to him and his family.

oh kris, so sad! condolence to him! and my thoughts and prayers for you and your family!

I’m so sad for Kris and his family, they are in my thoughts.

I think it’s amazing that he would take the time out to promote Allison and cheer her on for her appearance, even though he’s going through a very tough time.

babybelle.. you captured my thoughts exactly..

i had such a great time talking with Kris and Katy after the Oakland show the other nite (you can hear them and all the other Idols on my Rickey.org “bus-cast” – see my recap posted her on MJs on Sunday…)

It’s been a roller-coaster time of losses and joys (Michael Jackson, start of the new tour, etc.)

I’m so impressed with Kris’s ongoing gracious attitude, openness and sense of humor in the middle of so many challenges..

Lauri in Oakland…

really sorry his loss. and really brave of him to not cancel any shows.

Good Morning all. This is sad news to wake up to.

My sincere condolences to Kris and his family for their loss.

On a happier note, I’m looking forward to seeing Allison on primetime TV.

Commiserations and hugs to Kris and his family.

Knowing his family as I do, I know they are a very tight family. This must be very tough to go through. Stay strong tough KA.

Very sorry for Kris, his mom, and his family.

Selfishly, I’m sad that I won’t get to see Kris on Conan, but, of course, I’m glad that he will be taking that time to be with his family. It must be really hard to have “real life” going on in the midst of all this craziness.

And I want to echo those who have said how gracious Kris is for still cheering on his girl Allison, who will be replacing him on the show. That sure makes it sound like this was a Jive/record promotional stop as opposed to a tour promotional stop. (Otherwise I would’ve expected Adam to replace him.)

Once again, condolences to Kris and his family.

Sorry to hear this, may she rest in peace, and my condolences to Kris and his family.

Best wish to Kris & family. If it was his grandmother, I hope she was able to enjoy his success on Idol.

Are we sure it was his Grandmother? I found this article about his Great Grandmother. This might be her that died….

Kris was her ‘Idol’ before America’s
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
By Steve Campbell
Times Staff Writer steve.campbell@htimes.com
Great-grandmother always had faith in TV show’s winner

Kris Allen, the latest “American Idol” winner, got some pointed and perhaps unexpected advice from his great-grandmother during the competition.

“Write some songs that have a lot of pep,” said 98-year-old Eva Carter of Huntsville. “And shake your legs – that’s what the women like.”

This was in March, when Allen was among several singers vying for the “Idol” crown. He took a break from music to visit Carter, who was recovering from a stomach problem at an Arkansas hospital.

“He was sitting there, holding my hand, and I told him I loved all the songs he sang,” said Carter, who just three years earlier loved to dance “The Jitterbug.”

A Huntsville native who lived many years in Allen’s native Arkansas, Carter returned to Huntsville when she left the hospital. Every Wednesday night, she watched Allen on her stepdaughter’s big-screen TV.

Many predicted that “Idol” rival Adam Lambert would win, but Carter said she always had faith in Allen. “I thought he’d win the whole time,” Carter said.

If he had lost, it wouldn’t have mattered, she said, because the exposure he got on “Idol” meant “he’s got it made now.”

Allen won the competition Wednesday. During his climb to the top, the singer-songwriter performed “I Want You Back” by the Jackson 5, “Kiss a Girl” by Keith Urban and Queen’s “We Are the Champions.”

Carter said she jumped and screamed when Allen won. She said she even suggested opening a bottle of wine. “I was so happy,” she said.

Carter was born in Huntsville on Sept. 7, 1910. Her husband was in the Air Force and worked on Redstone Arsenal before transferring out of state. She had three children, one of them deceased, and several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Carter plans to watch Allen perform soon in Memphis or Atlanta….

My condolences to Kris and his family.

sigh, would have love to see him on the show but it will be great that Allison fill in for him!
The man has a lot of love…

Nola, thanks for the reprint of the article, except that now I am tearing up before I have to go to work!
Yes, I wonder if this was the lady who passed away, as Kris’s mom looks to be mid-to-late forties and possibly has parents in their sixties or early seventies.
Love and prayers for the Allen extended family.

So sorry for Kris and the Allen family’s loss. I recall in one of his interviews he said his ‘one regret on the show’ was not being able to spend time with his grandmother who was dying. That seriously touched me. It was obvious that he’s quite close to her.

He is as always gracious and supportive of his fellow idols. Good for Allison that she will have this opportunity. I look forward to seeing her. Hopefully Kris will be able to make an appearance on Conan at a later date. Maybe when he’s doing shows in the LA area later this month.

Are we sure it was his Grandmother? I found this article about his Great Grandmother

NOLA, I guess we won’t know who it was until Kris says so. It could be his great-grandmother who passed away. (And thanks so much for sharing that article. It was a good one!)

I figured it was his grandmother from his comcast live chat. I just went back and looked at it. He said:

Kris Allen: Wow… I think the one thing that I would want to change is… I don’t know… I like everything now. It’s very good. I have no complaints. I’m the happiest person in the world right now, so I can’t think of anything I would want to change, other than my grandmother is passing away right now, and that’s not very good.

It was definitely Kris’s maternal grandmother who passed away. I am FB friends with his mother, Kim (I’m no one special to her–she accepts friend requests from Kris fans), and she has been posting recently about her mother being very ill, and her real-life friends have been posting condolences there for the loss of her mother for the past several hours.

That’s too bad. Condolences for his family.

im really sad about kris allen not being on conan i was really looking forward to seeing the interview (condolences to him and his fam) but im glad allison was the one to replace him and NOT adam since she hasn’t had any promotion for her album done. so being on conan will help the poor girl

That is very sad. Condolences and peace to Kris and his family.

My thoughts and prayers go out to Kris, his mother and family.

I also am very impressed with his promotion of Allison on Conan and his excitement for her. Having said that, I wish it could be Kris, but this sounds like the best option all around so he doesn’t have to miss a tour date. I’m so sorry he has to go through this now.

Aww, that is very sad news for Kris

But I’m glad Allison will get the opportunity on Conan – it will be really interesting to see her finally get a chance at some big name interviews – it’s not something she’s used to, but it will be great experience, and she is a naturally funny and energetic person. I feel bad though for wishing some Adison show time on Conan – we don’t get too many of those interviews, and I think that would be great entertainment.

And hopefully Kris will be able to make it back to Conan later on.

Kris and Allison are both on Jive who obviously set up this gig. Adam is on RCA so expect different promotion.

I’m surprised 19M hasn’t announced who’ll they’ll be managing yet. That’ll be interesting.

im really sad about kris allen not being on conan i was really looking forward to seeing the interview (condolences to him and his fam) but im glad allison was the one to replace him and NOT adam since she hasn’t had any promotion for her album done. so being on conan will help the poor girl

I’m glad it’s not Adam too, and I love Adam, but I’d rather he was their for Kris as a friend then filling in for him on Conan.

I’m glad it’s not Adam too, and I love Adam, but I’d rather he was their for Kris as a friend then filling in for him on Conan.

Excellent point. Yeah, the next tour stops are going to be tough on Kris, emotionally, so hopefully having his best friends by him behind the scenes will help him through.

My thoughts and prayers go out to Kris and his family. I am surprised that out of all of the idols Allison is the one taking his place…. I guess this is a Jive thing.

Warm {{{{HUGS}}}} to Kris and his family.

I thought in any competition when the winner is unable to participate in anything that the runner-up is next in line to fill in! Allison is not next in line – wtf is going on?

If Jive is smart (they are) there will be little or no Kris/Adam joint promo.
Kris needs to get out from Adam’s shadow and once the tour ends I bet Kradam dies as well.

The music biz doesn’t run like a beauty pageant. Expect completely different promotion based on label and management in the future.

I’m pretty sure Kris and Adam will both get their chance to be on Conan in the future. Meanwhile, Allison is getting a break, which is good for her career.

Glad Kris is missing no tour dates. Condolences to him and his family.

I thought in any competition when the winner is unable to participate in anything that the runner-up is next in line to fill in! Allison is not next in line – wtf is going on?

It’s a JIVE thing.

I’m very sorry for Kris and his family. Even when a death is expected and you know a loved one will finally be at peace, it’s never easy.

I’m slightly disappointed that Kris couldn’t be on Conan, but I can’t imagine what Kris and his family must be going through now. Deepest condolences to them.

On a positive note, I’m glad that Allison finally gets a chance to shine.

I thought in any competition when the winner is unable to participate in anything that the runner-up is next in line to fill in

Well, both of them have been pushed as co-winners since the finale. And, Adam did get a lot more coverage in other places which Kris didn’t get. Anyway, as jpfan noted, it’s post-idol now and the fact that Allison will be appearing instead suggest that this is a Jive-planned thing.

I hope Kris is doing okay and wish him all the best. {{Hugs}} to the Pocket Idol.

My condolences to Kris and his family. It’s always tough to lose a loved one.

On another note, I’ll be looking forward to seeing Allison.

I thought in any competition when the winner is unable to participate in anything that the runner-up is next in line to fill in! Allison is not next in line – wtf is going on?

19E doesn’t run the Conan show. Conan and his bookers get to decide who they will have on their show when. Could be that Allison is a favourite of somebody on the show or they think that she would appeal to their viewers.

Good for Allison. The fourth place finisher tends to get overshadowed by the competition (not as much as the third place finisher who has to stick around LA to get ready for the finale), so it’s great she’s getting to do some extra promo (and not very many Idols get to go on the late-night shows prior to their albums dropping).

Sad day for Kris and his family. It’s always tough when a family member dies.

The Allens all seem like sweet folks, to the other singers as well as their own son. There’s never a good time to lose a parent, even if they’re older and it’s been coming for a while, so supportive wishes to Mrs Allen. And when your grandparents pass, it’s like the end of an era and the loss of a connection to your childhood. Best wishes to Kris and his brother.

Allison’s such a cheerful, funny kid, I think she’ll be adorable paired with Conan. Letterman often seems like kind of a cranky old man with younger woman (like that interview with Emma Watson from the Harry Potter movies–I wanted to stop on his toes!) but Conan is never a bully. It just should be fun, despite the sad reason for the switch.

Robin voice: Gee Batman, no one would turn someone’s death and schedule changes related to it into a reason for fanwarring, would they? Batman voice: Of course not, Robin. Because that would be wrong.

What, you don’t have a Robin voice and a Batman voice?

Reminder:

This thread IS NOT about Adam Lambert. I’m going to delete posts that are OFF TOPIC.

My thoughts and prayers to the Allen Family. In a tight-knit family, losing a grandparent is as devestating as losing a parent. (From my perspective, of course.) It will take time to heal, even if the death was anticipated.

The Allens are such a lovely family. I know they’ll gain strength from each other during this difficult time. My thoughts and prayers go out to them.

This is very sad news. I hope Kris gets the family time he needs and wish nothing but the best for them all.

Sorry to hear about Kris’s loss.

But what a fantastic opportunity and fabulous exposure for Allison. Tonight Show musical appearance will be great for her.

Allison’s such a cheerful, funny kid, I think she’ll be adorable paired with Conan.

Do we know if it will be a sit-down interview or a performance? I had assumed that Kris was going to be performing because he’d already had a sit-down with Leno, but then maybe he wasn’t since the hosts had changed.

If she performs, and assuming that she will do one of her tour songs since there isn’t a lot of time to prepare with the band, I suggest she do “Cry Baby”. “So What” is a little to recent of a hit (might seem like karaoke) and “Barracuda” tends to get done a lot. Plus, she sings the crap out of “Cry Baby”.

Again, condolences. Sorry, it is a mixture of sad news and good news in this thread so it’s hard for me to be overly happy for Allison (and speculate what she will sing) whilst also respecting the sad news.

Sad news indeed. My prayers for the repose of the soul of the Allen’s dearly departed.

As a side note, I’m glad Allison gets to go on Conan.

really sad news. RIP grandma of kris. so i guess he is missing conan so he can travel to arkansas after the show tonight and be with his family all day wednesday and then fly back on thursday 4 the show. so much stress and pressure. poor boy.

Do we know if it will be a sit-down interview or a performance?
You’re right, I was projecting, ’cause I thought an interview would be cute, but nothing in the item says whether it’s performance or sit down.

ross
Jul 14th, 2009 at 9:15 am
I’m pretty sure Kris and Adam will both get their chance to be on Conan in the future. Meanwhile, Allison is getting a break, which is good for her career.

Glad Kris is missing no tour dates. Condolences to him and his family.

Kris is a trooper, I think I would have been more surprised if he did miss tour dates, but I do hope he gets a chance to be with his family, before he has to go on tonight.

I feel so sad for Kris – tonight’s show will probably be pretty tough for him, but at least he’ll be back with his family for a couple of days afterwards. Poor boy’s going to be exhausted.

I ~think Kris was only going on to sing, no interview. So I would expect the same for Allison. I had been wondering if this was to promote the tour/Idol, but Alli taking Kris’s place shows it must have been a Jive organised appearance to promote Kris the artist, which is great even though it’s no longer happening.

I do hope he gets a chance to be with his family, before he has to go on tonight

I assume they’re all in Arkansas, but he’ll have the Idol family with him.

This was not agood post to see at the top today. Very sad news.
Condolences to him and the family.

I will like to see Allison on TV!

I saw on another thread that one of the members in the tour band had tweeted that Kris was going to perform “Heartless” on Conan, and that they were still working out what Allison would perform in his place. It does sound that this appearance was going to be singing only, not a sit-down interview, but who knows.

In addition to the grief I’m sure he’s feeling, the extra travel is going to be rough. I think he was in L.A. working on his album yesterday, so he would go from here to Utah, then leave for Arkansas probably right after tonight’s show, go to the funeral Wednesday and likely have to fly back to L.A. either Wed. night or early Thursday to do the L.A. tour stop Thursday night. I hope all this work will help him take his mind off his grief for a little while, and I’m sure that the tight-knight AI family will be there for him. It’s good that he will have so many friends around to support him.

Loss of a grandparent who was close is one of the most heart-wrenching experiences there is for a young person. Sincere condolences to Kris and family.

Sometimes twitter isn’t such a bad thing. Kris has gotten a lot of love from people sending condolences on his grandmother’s death. He tweeted this morning:

#Thanks everyone for the love.#about 1 hour ago from TwitterFon

I hope all this work will help him take his mind off his grief for a little while, and I’m sure that the tight-knight AI family will be there for him. It’s good that he will have so many friends around to support him.

Ditto. I was also thinking that it is good Kris has two families to support him.

And you’re right that’s a lot of flying plus they have LA, Ontario and San Diego before he gets another day off. Real rough.

it’ll probably be a tough time for kris but i guess being on tour will keep his mind occupied and he wont have the time to grieve so maybe in a way its a good thing he’s got so much going on.

selfish of me but i really dont mind seeing allison on conan. i love to watch her hyper self (and i feel she’s like a younger sister to me too….i have a younger sis whose 18 and reminds me so much of Allison )…ok me becoming crazy fangirl here …

Aw, such sad news. Condolences to Kris and the rest of the Allen family.

It’s hard to lose a grandparent whether it’s expected or not. I lost my last grandparent (on my father’s side) 4 years ago on Saturday (11th) and it was very unexpected. It’s a very painful thing to go through no matter how old they may have been. I send my deepest condolences to Kris and his entire family.

I’m sure that Allison would have rather had this opportunity under different circumstances but I’m glad she will get the Conan appearance.

Thoughts and prayers to Kris and his family.

Happy that Allison is going to be on Conan. I’m sure she will enjoy herself.

I’m geographically stupid. What is the distance between Utah and Arkansas? Would it have been impossible for him to be there for a day? Anyway hopefully Katie is with him.

I lost my grandfather two years ago. He was 96, but his last two years were awful for him, his wife (my step-grandmother), and the whole family, particularly my father. It doesn’t matter the age of the individual–death is tough, especially when said person has suffered. I have no idea how Kris will be able to get through the tour, but he is a trouper and it will happen. I was on Twitter when he tweeted (as did Michael and Allison), and we offered him our condolences.

I am happy for Allison, of course, but, IMO, this is really about Kris right now, though this is great exposure for her (and it’s just a performance, not a sit-down).

Kris, you are in our our thoughts and prayers.

Such a sad thing for Kris–I hope that all the twitter messages actually did make him feel a little better, or at least supported by his fans.

And hopefully Allison will have a great time on Conan–looking forward to seeing her.

My condolences to Kris and his family. I hope he gets even more love than usual at the show tonight.

This is sad news for Kris but he is feeling supported by his family, fans and the idols.
In terms of Allison going on Conan, I am very happy about this. I hope Allison does NOT sing because she was/is having difficulties with her voice. Her voice needs to rest for tonight. In Oakland you could hear it starting to strain and in San Jose she did the best she could but she needs to rest her voice as much as she can. I think it will be an interview and she is SUPER funny but we will see.

warm hugs to the entire allen family. sad day indeed.

(and a high five to allison, hope she rocks it)

my condolences to Kris’ family.

Sorry to hear that, Kris is such a humble and outstanding person.

My condolences and sympathies to Kris and Kris’ family on their loss.

Condolences to Kris and his family.

But I’m excited about Allison! Can’t wait to see her on Leno I mean Conan. I don’t like Conan but will watch him for someone I like.

I think it’s going to be rough for him to sing “Ain’t No Sunshine’ tonight. He already puts a lot of emotion into it. I’m tearing just thinking about it.

I’m sorry to hear that. I lost my little Italian grandma in September, my last living grandparent and the one I was closest to. I am so grateful for her 92 years.

Condolences to Kris and his family. Best wishes.

Oh I’m so sorry to hear about this loss for Kris and his family. I’m also sorry that he won’t be appearing on the Tonight Show and really hope Conan given him a rain check. It will be fun to see Allison though. She’ll rock out. It sounds like he was going to sing and not just be interviewed. I’m so sorry he will miss that opportunity but it is good he will be with him mom at this time.