Alexis Cohen: Death of an American Idol contestant

"Even after her death," said Kitty Caparella in The Philadelphia Inquirer, "fans are still arguing about Alexis Cohen," who was rejected by American Idol judges in season 7 and again in season 8. Some remember Cohen for her "expletive-deleted" rant against the Idol judges, who rejected her during Idol's season 7 in 2007. But some bloggers said Cohen—a 25-year-old known as "Glitter Girl" because of her sparkling makeup—was "kind" and "fun"—despite the bad impression she made in her infamous tirade. (watch Alexis Cohen's American Idol rant)

Alexis Cohen was definitely one of those memorable American Idol contestants, said Radar Online. Who can forget "her liberal use of glittery-eye makeup, and comparing herself to Pat Benatar, Janis Joplin, and Grace Slick." And the video of her season 7 rant against judge Simon Cowell was one of those viral Internet videos no one forgets.

"The glittery makeup, the bellowing voice, and the nationally televised harangue may have garnered Alexis Cohen a brief, idiosyncratic stint in the spotlight," said Brian Callaway in Cohen's hometown newspaper, the Allentown, Penn., Morning Call, but Cohen's mother wants people to remember her daughter as more than comic relief on American Idol. "She was a great kid,'' Mindy Cohen said Sunday, the day after Alexis Cohen's death in Seaside Heights, N.J. "Nobody gave her the chance to show them the nature she had."

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(Police have arrested a 23-year-old New Jersey man, Daniel Bark, and charged him with causing Cohen's death by reckless driving and then leaving the scene of a collision.)