adminRandy Jackson announced on Tuesday that he’s leaving American Idol after being with the singing competition show since its first season in 2002. The 58-year-old musician and record producer was an original judge on the show along with Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell.
“After 13 seasons, I felt now was the perfect time to leave American Idol,” Randy said in a statement to Dead-line.
“I’m proud to have been a part of a series that discovered some incredible artistes and will go down in history as one of the most successful television shows ever. A true original, Idol started it all. Onto what’s next,” he added.
Randy back in May 2013 also said he was leaving the Fox show after 12 seasons as a judge, but returned for its 13th season as a mentor replacing Jimmy Iovine.
His return brought some stability to a show that had seen a revolving door of judges as the one-time ratings juggernaut tried to keep viewers.
Randy was known for greeting singers with his catchphrase “Yo, dawg” and also for his regular criticism of singers for being “pitchy” while serving as a judge.
Fox and American Idol’s producers lauded Randy for his contributions.
“Randy has been such an integral part of American Idol since day one, both as a judge and as a mentor.
“He’s provided great advice and support, shaping the success of so many Idols we have discovered over the years,” they said in a state- ment.
“We wish him all the best in his next chapter. Randy will always be part of our Idol family, and we hope he’ll visit from time to time,” the statement added.
Randy’s departure makes host Ryan Seacrest (39) the only remaining key member of Idol’s original team. The 14th season of American Idol will premiere on January 14, 2015 with Ryan as host and Jennifer Lopez, Keith Urban and Harry Connick Jnr as judges. —TMZ
Online Reporter