Ryan Whyte Maloney, a former contestant on NBC’s The Voice, died by suicide on Tuesday. He was 44.
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The Clark County Coroner’s Office in Las Vegas confirmed to PEOPLE that the singer’s death has been ruled as suicide by a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Hours before he took his life, Whyte Maloney had posted a video on his Instagram Stories while he appeared to be at a bar. He showed no indication that he was struggling.
“Nine fine Irishmen for a private party tonight,” he stated in the clip. “And we will be rocking.”
Born in 1981, Whyte Maloney played various musical instruments, including guitar, violin, and drums. He became a frontman of a prog-rock ground, Indulge, and recorded an album, Tomorrow’s Another Day, in 2005. After a decade of touring, he decided to start working on his solo music career.
In 2014, Ryan Whyte Maloney appeared on The Voice’s sixth season and performed Journey’s hit song, “Lights.” He earned a four-chair turn and picked then-coach Blake Shelton.
Whyte Maloney endured two Battle Rounds during his time on the show and was one of Shelton’s top 5 finalists.
Although he didn’t win on The Voice, Whyte Maloney continued to pursue his music career. He became a songwriter and a studio musician/engineer/producer. In 2023, he released his singles “Don’t Put Me In a Box,” “Love With Nowhere to Go,” “Sleepwalk” and “Toast to Tonight.
Last year, he performed at Shelton’s bar Ole Red in Nashville. He had an ongoing residency at the venue.
Ryan Whyte Maloney Reflected on His ‘The Voice’ Days Shortly Before His Death
Less than two weeks before his unexpected death, Ryan Whyte Maloney took to his Instagram account to reflect on his time on The Voice. He admitted he had struggled mentally after he was voted off the show.
“I was at home all depressed after [The Voice],” he recalled. “I was trying to pick up the pieces of putting my life together and was getting used to waking up to 60,000 Facebook messages of people who said they knew me that was hilarious, and I got a call from The Voice asking me to come back to do the finale, and here it is.”
Whyte Maloney shared a video of The Voice’s sixth season finale in the post. “Here it is,” he gushed. “Best time of my life ever!”
The singer also celebrated his 44th birthday earlier this month. “I’m overflowing with gratitude for the lovely birthday wishes and affection I received today,” he shared in a video on Instagram. “Your kindness truly warms my heart. Thank you a million times over!”