Joanne Borgella (May 29, 1982 — October 18, 2014) was an American singer, plus-size model and reality television personality. She was signed to Wilhelmina Models in New York City, Miami and LA. She was the first winner of ''

Mo'Nique's Fat Chance ''Mo'Nique's Fat Chance'' was a reality TV miniseries. It featured 10 plus-sized women competing in a beauty pageant to become "Miss F.A.T.," which is explained as "Fabulous and Thick." It is hosted by actress Mo'Nique and aired from 2005 to 2007 ...

'' pageant as "Miss F.A.T." in 2005 and a top 24 contestant on the seventh season of ''

American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to Ap ...

'' in 2008. Borgella died October 18, 2014, due to a rare form of endometrial cancer.

Early life

Borgella was born in the

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

borough of New York City, to an

OB-GYN Obstetrics and Gynaecology (also spelled as Obstetrics and Gynecology; abbreviated as Obs and Gynae, O&G, OB-GYN and OB/GYN) is the medical specialty that encompasses the two subspecialties of obstetrics (covering pregnancy, childbirth, and t ...

father and a mother who was a

registered nurse A registered nurse (RN) is a nurse who has graduated or successfully passed a nursing program from a recognized nursing school and met the requirements outlined by a country, state, province or similar government-authorized licensing body to o ...

. The family moved to

Uniondale, New York Uniondale is a census-designated place (CDP), as well as a suburb in Nassau County, New York, Nassau County, New York (state), New York, on Long Island, in the Town of Hempstead, New York, Town of Hempstead. The population was 32,473 at the 2020 ...

, when she was an infant, and later to the fellow

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...

town of

Oyster Bay Cove Oyster Bay Cove is a village located within the Town of Oyster Bay in Nassau County, on Long island, in New York. The population was 2,197 at the 2010 census. History The village incorporated in 1931, and on January 14, 1932, residents unani ...

. She had older siblings: Joel, Jean and Jerald.

Career

In 2008, she auditioned for the talent search reality television show ''

''. After successfully completing "Hollywood week", she was chosen to be one of the top 12 girls and overall top 24 final contestants for the seventh season. Her musical influences were

Whitney Houston Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer and actress. Nicknamed "The Voice", she is one of the bestselling music artists of all time, with sales of over 200 million records worldwide. Houston in ...

Celine Dion Céline Marie Claudette Dion ( ; born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Noted for her powerful and technically skilled vocals, Dion is the best-selling Canadian recording artist, and the best-selling French-language artist of all time. Her ...

Barbra Streisand Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand (; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success in multiple fields of entertainment, and is among the few performers List ...

Alanis Morissette Alanis Nadine Morissette ( ; born June 1, 1974) is a Canadian-American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her emotive mezzo-soprano voice and confessional songwriting, Morissette began her career in Canada in the early 1990s with tw ...

and

Andrea Bocelli Andrea Bocelli (; born 22 September 1958) is an Italian tenor and multi-instrumentalist. He was born visually impaired, with congenital glaucoma, and at the age of 12, Bocelli became completely blind, following a brain hemorrhage resulting fro ...

. Borgella was eliminated on February 21, 2008, along with Colton Berry, Garrett Haley and Amy Davis. She was "Miss F.A.T." 2005, and the first season winner of ''

''. Borgella was represented by

Wilhelmina Models Wilhelmina International Inc. (NASDAQ: WHLM), formerly Wilhelmina Models, is a full service modeling and talent agency headquartered in New York City, United States. The company also has offices in Los Angeles, Chicago and Miami. Founded in 196 ...

10/20 division in New York and Miami. She had been the face of Torrid, Ashley Stewart, Wal-Mart and Kohls department store and appeared advertisements featured in ''

Seventeen Seventeen or 17 may refer to: *17 (number), the natural number following 16 and preceding 18 * one of the years 17 BC, AD 17, 1917, 2017 Literature Magazines * ''Seventeen'' (American magazine), an American magazine * ''Seventeen'' (Japanese m ...

'', '' Essence'' and ''

InStyle ''InStyle'' was an American monthly women's fashion magazine founded in 1994. It was published in the United States by Dotdash Meredith. In February 2022, it was announced that InStyle would cease print publications and move to a digital-only ...

'', among others. She was also one of the faces of Procter & Gamble a new campaign that many are calling a "movement" directed at the African American woman, "My Black is Beautiful". Borgella appeared as a coach on MTV's ''

Made Made or MADE may refer to: Entertainment Film * ''Made'' (1972 film), United Kingdom * ''Made'' (2001 film), United States Music * ''Made'' (Big Bang album), 2016 * ''Made'' (Hawk Nelson album), 2013 * ''Made'' (Scarface album), 2007 *'' M.A.D.E. ...

'' in 2011. In 2013 Borgella joined the cast of NUVOtv's show ''Curvy Girls''. She had been a resident of

Hoboken, New Jersey Hoboken ( ; Unami: ') is a city in Hudson County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 60,417. The Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program calculated that the city's population was 58,690 i ...

Illness and death

In October 2013, Borgella posted a video stating she had been diagnosed with cancer. She said she was suffering from severe headaches and, upon going to the emergency room to determine the cause of those headaches, discovered that cancer had spread to her brain. Borgella died early on October 18, 2014, at age 32.

''American Idol'' performances

References

External links

*
Joanne Borgella @ Buddy TV
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Borgella, Joanne Female models from New York (state) American Idol participants American people of Haitian descent Plus-size models 2014 deaths American women pop singers Place of death missing Musicians from Hoboken, New Jersey People from Oyster Bay Cove, New York Deaths from cancer in New York (state) 21st-century American women singers 1982 births