‘American Idol’ Star Alex Miller’s Drummer Killed in Shooting

Traditional country singer Alex Miller's drummer Mark Laws is dead after being shot at a home in Cumberland Gap, Tenn.

A 25-year-old has been charged with criminal homicide, and the former American Idol star says he's heartbroken.

• Mark Laws, 62, was shot and killed on Sunday (May 25).
• The Tennessean reports that he's worked as Miller's drummer and band leader for five years.
• He previously played for Little Jimmy Dickens, Larry Cordle, Bill Carlilse and more.

Related: 10 Things American Idol Doesn't Want You to Know

"My grandad once told me that you’ll have lots of friends in your life, but finding a try (sic) friend is something that is rare and special," Miller wrote on Instagram on Tuesday night (May 27).

"My grandad was a true friend, and so was Mark Laws."

Laws' stepson, Maxwell Madon, has been charged by Claiborne County Sheriffs.

Southeast Kentucky radio station WRIL-FM shares that Madon and his grandparents lived together. On Sunday, they began to argue, and it escalated. The alleged shooter also shot his own hand and was transported to a local hospital for treatment.

Cumberland Gap, Tenn. is in northeast Tennessee, right along the border of Kentucky and Virginia.

"His loss to me is devastating," Miller tells fans. "Please pray for his family for me."

Miller's grandfather GB Miller died in July 2022. While not a true finalist on American Idol, the Kentucky native has continued to thrive since Season 19 in 2021. He was voted off the show for refusing to bend away from his traditional country and bluegrass sound — a move that would endear him to that audience.

Miller Time (2022) is his only full-length release, but he's dropped several EPs and singles in the years since. Earlier this year, he released "The Byrd," a collaboration with and tribute to '90s country hitmaker Tracy Byrd.