‘The Voice’ Contestant Dies by Suicide in Las Vegas

Posted on: January 30, 2025, 01:20h. 

Last updated on: January 30, 2025, 01:51h.

Ryan Whyte Maloney, who competed on Season 6 of the “The Voice” in 2014, fatally shot himself in Las Vegas on Tuesday. According to the police report obtained by TMZ, the incident followed a drunken argument the 44-year-old had with his fiancée about her jacket.

Ryan Whyte Maloney appears in his main Facebook page photo. (Image: Facebook)

Maloney’s fiancée, who wasn’t named in the report, told police they were driving home together from the New York-New York Hotel and Casino when she repeatedly inquired whether he had her jacket.

According to the report, Maloney got annoyed, called her a “bitch,” then removed a handgun from the glove compartment and pulled his vehicle over.

Maloney appears in a still from a video he posted to his Instagram from New York-New York the night before he took his own life. (Image: Instagram)

His fiancée told police he was out of view when she heard the first gunshot, after which she ran after him. After hearing a second shot, she saw his body fall to the ground, according to the report, which stated that officers responding to her 911 call pronounced him dead at the scene.

Police said that Maloney had slash marks on his arms from self-harm and had contemplated suicide before.

A Clark County spokesperson gave the location of the death scene as Henderson, Nev., at least a 17-minute drive from New York-New York.

On “The Voice,” Maloney sang Journey’s “Lights” in a blind audition to earn a spot on Blake Shelton’s team, but was eliminated before the live performance rounds began. He returned to perform on the season finale, at the request of Morgan Wallen and Jake Worthington.|

For two nights last April, Maloney opened for Shelton at Ole Red, where he was a regular performer.

Maloney is survived by his parents, Norman and Robin Maloney; brothers Jeremy and Josh Maloney; and his four children, Prince, Presley, Cash and Jovi.

If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741741 or go to 988lifeline.org.