Ziggy Krassenberg Is Honoring His Late Dad in ‘American Idol’ Season 22
Ziggy said he had a vision of his father while performing on the show. “I saw a father who was really proud,” he added.
Published April 1 2024, 4:57 p.m. ET
American Idol viewers are just getting to know Ziggy Krassenberg, who already made a name for himself in his native Netherlands by competing — and ending up in seventh place — on Dutch Idol when he was his in teens. But now Ziggy is 23, and he’s lived a lot of life since that last Idolrun, including the death of his father, Michael.
Ziggy had tough times with Michael, as he explained on the show, but after a Hollywood Week performance, he knew he did right by his dad. “I was thinking about my dad,” Ziggy said afterward. “I saw him. I saw a father who was really proud.”
Who is Ziggy Krassenberg’s dad, Michael?
Ziggy’s father was Michael Krassenberg, who died at age 61 on Sept. 15, 2022, according to an Instagram post from Ziggy. On Idol, Ziggy said that his father suffered a stroke and died three days later.
“Tears are not enough to describe my sadness,” Ziggy wrote on Instagram at the time, according to an online translation. “You are now a star in the sky but forever a rock star in my heart. I will miss you, dear dad! Two weeks ago, you were on stage, and you were so proud of me! I will always make you proud! Because you always wanted to break through as a musician, and I will complete that task for you. Rest in peace, father.”
Michael was a rock guitarist who was well known in the music scene of the Dutch city Zutphen, according to De Stentor. He performed all around the region, joining many bands and playing major festivals like Bospop, the newspaper added.
Ziggy had a “complicated relationship” with his father.
During his American Idol audition, Ziggy told the judges that he had to raise himself, since his mom was a drug addict who was absent from his life and his dad and he had a “complicated relationship.”
“But we were good — sometimes we were, yeah,” Ziggy added.
The Dutch singer’s performance of Lady Gaga’s “Million Reasons” earned a standing ovation from the judges, who unanimously set him through to the Hollywood rounds. “You raised you,” Lionel Richie said. “Now we are gonna raise you up.”
Ziggy and Michael had started repairing their bond by the time of Michael’s death.
On American Idol, Ziggy explained that he “always dreamed of being a singer” since his father was a rock star. “I really was searching for acceptance by my dad,” he said. “Our relationship went downhill. But six years later, when I was on Dutch Idol, we reconnected and slowly started to build a relationship.”
And Michael attended one of Ziggy’s performances before his death, Ziggy said. “He was so proud of me — he had tears,” the Idolcontestant shared. “He had tears. All I want is him back, and even if I could give my body [to] him [for] just one day to meet him again, that would mean the world for me. I know he’s watching me right now, and I want to give him his last honor over here at American Idol.”
