Singer and minister Freddie Combs has died aged 49 from a "brief illness", it was announced today.

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He rose to fame after his appearance on the second season of The X Factor USA, which aired in 2012, wowing the judges with an audition in which he sung Bette Midler's Wind Beneath My Wings.

Previously, he had appeared on a TLC programme called Ton of Love, which followed him and his wife as they strived to get Combs' weight down to a healthy level.

TMZ reports that the cause of death was kidney failure, with Combs suffering a number of health problems over the years.

In the introduction prior to his X Factor audition, Combs said he weighed 920 pounds (65 stone) in 2009, but in the following 11 years worked hard to bring that number down to 385 pounds (27 stone).

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His wife Kay Combs said: "I have so much gratitude to be his wife for 25 years and to be his best friend."

"My wife, Kay, she's an incredible woman," Combs said on The X Factor USA in 2012. "She started caring for me right after we were married in '96 and as my weight rose more things were required of her, and she's the closest thing to an angel and a saint that I know."

The X Factor USA judges Simon Cowell and LA Reid asked that he get himself to a healthier state in order to earn their full support.

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“Freddie spent most of his life in ministry preaching the gospel and singing praises to his Lord Jesus Christ. He has touched countless lives and their ministry will continue to do so," reads his public obituary.

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