An “American Idol” reject who was obsessed with Paula Abdul – and who was mercilessly ripped by judges after trying out for the show – died in an apparent suicide outside the star’s LA mansion, officials said Wednesday.
Relatives of 30-year-old Paula Goodspeed, 30, whom “Idol” judges scorned as talentless for her “awful singing” during a 2005 audition, had warned cops that she was infatuated with Abdul, mentally unstable and suicidal, authorities said.
LA County coroners are scheduled to perform an autopsy Thursday on Goodspeed, who lived in nearby Thousand Oaks.
She was found in her tan 2001 Toyota Camry. There were no signs of trauma, and cops are probing her death as a suicide by drug overdose, a coroner’s investigator said.
Goodspeed was picked up in the past year, unconscious inside her car near Abdul’s house after another OD, the celebrity news Web site tmz.com reported, citing law enforcement sources.
And a neighbor of Abdul’s told TMZ she saw Goodspeed’s car several times over the last few weeks, generally in the early mornings, and the woman would
just sit inside.
Some neighbors reportedly mistook her for a paparazzo. LA County District Attorney and LAPD officials said Goodspeed’s name wasn’t in any of their records
before Wednesday, but a police source said city mental-health officers had previous knowledge of Goodspeed. Mental-health officials declined comment, citing confidentiality laws.
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Abdul is a judge on the popular Fox singing competition that Goodspeed auditioned for three years ago.
“I am deeply shocked and saddened,” Abdul said in a statement. “My heart and prayers go out to her family.”
Goodspeed’s family called police Tuesday afternoon to report the unemployed woman missing, out of fear she might hurt herself. “The family said they had not seen her since about 11 p.m. Monday, and they were worried she might try to overdose,” said Ventura County Sheriff’s Capt. Ross Bonfiglio.
“She had mental health issues, depression and an infatuation with Paula Abdul.”
When cops went to look for her at Abdul’s home in the Sherman Oaks neighborhood of LA, they found Goodspeed dead in her car, about four houses down the block, police said.
In an apparent homage to Abdul, the “Idol” worshipper had personalized license plates reading “ABL LV” in L.A. Lakers license-plate holders. She also had a picture of Abdul hanging from her rear-view mirror.
Prior to “Idol,” Abdul was best known as a recording artist and former Laker Girls dancer.
Goodspeed tried out for “Idol” in summer 2005 and her shrill, atonal performance of “Proud Mary” drew snickers from the dumbfounded judges.
Even Abdul, by far the least abrasive of the three “Idol” judges, was aghast: “Speechless, I don’t know what to say. It was not a great thing.”
In the Season Five audition show, Goodspeed showed off her artwork, which eerily included life-sized drawings of Abdul. “I really like Paula Abdul a lot, I
think she’s really cool,” Goodspeed said then. “I’ve been drawing her since I was a little kid. My first drawing was of Paula Abdul.”
And show host Ryan Seacrest introduced Goodspeed with: “Brace yourself Paula, your No. 1 fan is on the way!”
When Goodspeed strolled into the audition room, “Idol” judge Simon Cowell smiled when he noticed that she had the same first name as Abdul.
“I knew I saw a similarity, more than just the name,” Cowell chirped.
“I see it, definitely,” Abdul remarked. Goodspeed told her “Idol” that any comparison is well taken: “I take it as a compliment, because you’re beautiful!”
The tart-tongued British judge Cowell later took a mean dental shot at Goodspeed, who had braces on her teeth in 2005.
“I don’t think any artist on earth could sing with that much metal in your mouth,” a snarky Cowell commented.
In her post-rejection ranting, Goodspeed had harsh words for Cowell, and said she was determined to keep singing.
“He could go f – – – himself, I mean I don’t care,&qu Can Dance.”
Lythgoe, in New York Wednesday to promote “Dance,” didn’t recall Goodspeed’s name, but recognized her after The Post showed him footage of that 2005 “Idol” audition.
“It’s very sad,” said a grim-faced Lythgoe, shaking his head. He declined further comment.
Goodspeed lived about 30 miles away from Abdul, in a sprawling 525-unit apartment complex in the Ventura County community of Thousand Oaks.
She shared an apartment with her mother and a pet cockatoo bird.
No one immediately answered the door at their apartment Wednesday afternoon.
Additional reporting by Tim Perone and Post Wire Services