In January, tragic news broke that The Voice star Natasha Stuart had died at the age of 43.
The singer lost her battle with breast cancer just two years after she was first diagnosed, but she made a huge impact on the hit reality singing competition.
WATCH BELOW: The Voice’s Natasha Stuart encourages people to check their health.
Before The Voice
Natasha admitted she had a very interesting childhood, explaining that before she was even two years old, she and her family moved to Swaziland in Africa.
“That was all I knew. All I knew was the Swazi people, the Swazi culture, the African rhythms and the beautiful African harmonies,” she said on The Voice, before adding that they moved back to Australia when Natasha was five years old.
Sadly, Natasha’s mother passed away from breast cancer when Natasha was just 14 years old, which made her extra vigilant when she herself was diagnosed.
Musical highlights
Even before she starred on The Voice, Natasha made waves within the music industry.
The late singer performed with artists including Jimmy Barnes, Boy George and Michael Bolton and toured with stars such as Leo Sayer and Lulu, Jessica Mauboy and Delta Goodrem – the latter of whom went on to coach her on The Voice.
“I think because I’ve been in the music industry for so long, my musical style has kind of adapted over time,” she admitted, before adding that she drew a lot of inspiration from soul and big female vocalists.
“I try and give as much of myself and who I am – just try and leave my heart on the stage. If you can do that as a performer, then you’ve kind of done your job.”
Starring on The Voice
Natasha auditioned for The Voice in 2019 and blew the coaches away with her rendition of Beyonce’s I Was Here.
She then went on to be coached by Delta Goodrem, whom she called “incredible” in a moving Instagram post.
“I love that she’s stretching me into new musical places and deeper connections to material than I’ve ever let myself go before! That’s what music is about – connection and love,” she captioned her post.
In a chat with New Idea, Natasha spoke about the bond she and Delta shared – the Born To Try singer had her own cancer battle with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.
“Even though it would have been wonderful to work with Kelly Rowland, when the judges turned around, everything Delta said made me think, I need to be with you,” Natasha said.
“I sang backing vocals for her when she was probably a year or two out of treatment.
“She had finished her journey when I was with her and now, I’m going through this and she’s with me so it’s a nice full circle many years later.”
Natasha placed 14th overall in the competition.
Breast cancer battle
At 41, Natasha was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer.
“I just said to my doctors, ‘Aren’t I too young?’” Natasha told New Idea.
“She said, ‘You are on the young side,’ and I was just shocked, because I thought, ‘Oh my God, are you kidding me? This seems so out of the blue.’”
Natasha underwent chemotherapy treatment before starring on The Voice and decided to undergo her surgery during a break from filming.
“I really want to empower, particularly young women, to follow up on their health. If something doesn’t feel right, to not sleep on it, to go to the doctor the next day and that’s another really important reason why I’m here.”
Natasha’s legacy
In January 2020, Natasha passed away at St Vincent’s Hospital, surrounded by loved ones.
Her family and friends confirmed the news on Natasha’s Instagram page, alongside an image of a feather surrounded by music notes captioned with a poem by Emily Dickinson.
“‘Hope’ is the thing with feathers -That perches in the soul -And sings the tune without the words -And never stops – at all,” the poem read.
“This piece was created especially for Natasha by artist Dan Marsh. Shortly before her passing it was her wish to have this beautiful art work tattooed on her arm by Dan. Although this was not possible, he was able to present it to Tash the day before she left us and she requested it be shared with her community along with this Emily Dickinson poem which inspired Tash throughout her life,” the caption finished.
Channel Nine and The Voice‘s production company ITV released statements, sending out messages of condolence and many of Natasha’s co-stars including Jesse Teinaki, Denzel M and Rebecca Selley also paid their respects.
Delta Goodrem shared a heartfelt post captioning a series of photos of herself and Natasha from their time together.
“The beautiful soul @natashastuart touched and inspired the lives of everyone she met. My heart breaks right now along with the music community, her family and friends. Rest In Peace musical friend. May you be with the angels singing xx” she wrote.
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