A Main Line pizza delivery guy advanced on ‘American Idol’ with a song inspired by his friend’s suicide

A young Main Line singer-songwriter is heading to Hollywood after his audition on this weekend’s American Idol premiere.

Narberth’s Louis Knight, 19, made his debut on American Idol on Sunday with his original song, “Change.” Knight, a Lower Merion High School grad, wrote the song as a tribute to his friend Russell Peck, who died by suicide in 2018.

“We were as thick as thieves. He was always so supportive of my music,” Knight said in Sunday’s segment. “He would film me playing at the piano. He sat with me when I wrote songs. He was just such a good person.”

“All I can hope for this song is maybe it can speak to someone suffering and maybe save a life,” Knight said. “That’s all I could possibly hope for.”

Judges on American Idol responded strongly to Knight’s song, with Luke Bryan saying that the Narberth teen “might be the biggest star we have on” the show. Lionel Richie, meanwhile, told Knight that he was “on to something big.”

“Russell would be absolutely thrilled,” Knight said after advancing to the next round of American Idol. “I think he’d be looking down and he’d smiling and he’d be really proud.”

Knight hails from England; his family moved to the Philadelphia area about eight years ago, he said on the show. He auditioned for American Idol in Washington late last year, 6ABC reports.

Knight released an EP, Small Victories, on which “Change” appears, in September. When he’s not recording music, Knight works as a delivery person for Narberth Pizza.

“He just worked Friday night, then we watched him on TV last night,” said Todd Rash, owner of Narberth Pizza. “He’s worked with me with a little while now, so I always knew he was going to go places, and do something with his talent.”

If you or someone you know is thinking of suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or text TALK to the Crisis Text Line at 741741.

Staff writer Oona Goodin-Smith contributed to this article.