Gokey, who lost his wife Sophia not long before trying out for the show, said in a recap video, "'American Idol' has given me a whole new hope for my life."
"It's almost like a fairy tale story, you read about tragedies and then you read about the person who comes through it -- I'm that person," he pointed out, before singing "You are so Beautiful to Me" in farewell to the program.
The show featured performances by Katy Perry (who wore a cape embroidered with the words Adam Lambert) and Jordin Sparks accompanied by OneRepublic's Ryan Tedder. Wednesday night's show also included footage of hometown parades for the top three contestants: for Danny in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, for Kris in Little Rock, Arkansas, and for Adam in San Diego, California.
The evening opened with a performance by Noah Mushimiyimana, a young man from Rwanda who has benefited from Keep A Child Alive, an organization that helps young people in Africa and the developing world who have been affected with HIV and AIDS. Alicia Keys, who works with Keep a Child Alive, also appeared with Noah, and announced the "Text Alive" campaign -- viewers can donate $5 to the program by texting the words "ALIVE" to the number 90999. For more information on how you can help, visit www.keepachildalive.org.
It's down to the Final Four, who is your pick for winner of Season 8 American Idol?
Kris Allen
Allison Iraheta
Danny Gokey
Adam Lambert
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