The Tragedy Of The Pentatonix Members Is Heartbreaking

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Beloved a cappella group Pentatonix has been on a whirlwind ride ever since making it big by winning "The Sing-Off" in 2011. Their success has taken them across the globe, performing for large audiences and teaming up with powerhouses of music like Dolly Parton and Kelly Clarkson. Boasting two No. 1 albums on the Billboard Top 200, the group has waltzed into the hearts of fans around the world. However, life hasn't always been something to sing about for the group.

As a band, Pentatonix has undergone quite a transformation over the years. From losing a record label to securing a better deal to having a member leave the band, it's been a wild journey for Pentatonix. And the journey has been deeply personal for each member. Beneath the facade of success, there are some tragic details and hidden secrets that each member of Pentatonix has carried over the years.

As one of the founding members of Pentatonix, Kirstin Maldonado has transformed herself from a girlish high schooler with big dreams into a truly powerful singer. However, the journey to self-discovery came with some bumpy terrain. In an interview on "Party Foul Radio With Pollo & Pearl," Maldonado hinted at struggling with people being mean to her, as well as how difficult it is to witness others being awful to each other. "A bully is going to be a bully, and you have to stand up for yourself ... You can't expect everyone else is going to come and run to your aid. You have to stand your ground. That's very important."

Taking this advice to heart, Maldonado sought to infuse her attitude and perspective on conflict into her songwriting. In 2017, many of the songs on her solo album, "L O V E," were dedicated to standing up for herself and others. The song "Bad Weather" is a great example of one to sing along with in order to deflect haters, and was inspired by her own life experiences. Whereas her time in Pentatonix has taught Maldonado how to advocate for others, her solo career has let her get to know herself. And thankfully, she decided to share that wisdom.

As someone who came up during the 2000s, the untold truth of Scott Hoying includes his struggle to openly address his sexuality during his teenage years. The entertainment industry may appear to be friendly to all stripes, but it can often be difficult to get ahead if you belong to a marginalized group. He told Out North Texas, "There was this constant, incessant, daily pressure to conform." 

In 2025, Scott's mother, Connie Hoying, released a book detailing his coming-out experience titled "The Untold Story of Scott Hoying, Pentatonix Star." While speaking to GLAAD about the project, she recalled how difficult it was for Scott to tell her that he was gay. "He was super upset. I mean, he was almost sobbing," she said. Luckily, she quickly let him know that he had her love and support. Still, she discouraged him from coming out to his classmates. This didn't spare Scott the treatment his mom was trying to shield him from. "It seeped out that he was gay. He was at a party, and a football player called him a horrible slur and said, 'Get out or I'll beat your a**,'" Connie recalled to Edge Media Network. But it was the football player who got kicked out for being a bully.

In a real meet-cute moment, fellow Pentatonix member Mitch Grassi was the first person Scott felt comfortable coming out to. Now secure in his own skin, Scott is openly out and married to model Mark Manio. The couple even wrote a children's book detailing their personal love story, "How Lucky Am I?" And in October 2025, Scott announced on "Dancing with the Stars" that the happy couple had a reason to be even happier: Their surrogate was pregnant.

Even though he appears powerfully self-assured these days, Mitch Grassi initially found it hard to fully embrace his confident side. One of the many things about Pentatonix you might not have known is that Grassi is an absolute style icon. As an openly gay man from a conservative small town, Grassi has always felt like he was wading upstream. "I felt very alienated and I was questioning my identity a lot," he told Lyndsanity in 2025. 

The close-minded people Grassi grew up around were a big part of the problem; he said that he didn't meet their expectations of how a man should act. "I think for a long time I was kind of telling myself, 'Oh, you're not a real man if you don't do these things,'" he revealed. He also felt like he couldn't fully embody his true self as much as he wanted to. In an interview with Out, when asked if he'd always had the confidence to wear whatever he wanted, Grassi responded, "No, I wouldn't say I've always had [confidence] ... but I took baby steps and then a giant leap, and now I feel like I can pretty much do anything."

With Lady Gaga as an inspiration, Grassi has pursued his passion for high-end designers and pushed the boundaries of fashion — and the risk paid off. In 2020, Balenciaga reached out to Grassi to record himself for the fashion label's X account, leading up to the reveal of its new collection. It is truly delightful to see the six-octave singer fully embrace his personality and sense of style.

As the son of immigrants, Kevin Olusola had a very specific life envisioned for himself. He would go to school, excel academically, and become a doctor. However, a higher power had a different plan. While growing up, Olusola played the cello for fun, often experimenting and incorporating hip-hop elements to create something he calls "cello boxing," A mix of beatboxing and playing the cello. This talent earned him high praise and even got him to perform alongside one of the godfathers of rap, KRS-One. Through this experience, Olusola found his true calling: music.

In an interview on the "Jesus Calling" podcast, Olusola opened up about how his personal beliefs helped him take his leap of faith. "I don't know if [music is] forever, but I know I at least have to follow this right now." Fortunately, he continued to pursue his craft and relied on his faith to reach where he is today.

When Olusola dropped his first solo record, "Dawn of a Misfit," in 2025, he spoke to GodTube about why he used to feel like a bit of a misfit. "I'm this classical musician who's also African and Caribbean, and I never felt Black enough," he said. "I never felt like I was African enough, academic enough, cultural enough, hip-hop enough to ever fully integrate into the culture of those spaces." Fortunately, he eventually came to realize that all of these different aspects of his identity are not limiting at all; they are his "superpower." 

When bass vocalist Avi Kaplan said goodbye to Pentatonix, he left quite a gap to fill. Fortunately, Matt Sallee was ready and waiting to join the group. Sallee had been actively pursuing a career in the a cappella scene for most of his life. He attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, and watched as the original members of Pentatonix won "The Sing-Off."

"I remember watching it from home and being like, 'Man, I want to do something,'" he told Mass Live. The inspiration struck, and he began performing with Pitch Slapped, Berklee's a cappella group. After winning the International Competition of Collegiate A Cappella in 2014, Sallee continued to push himself and joined a professional a cappella group in San Francisco. It wasn't until he met Kaplan that Sallee realized he was pushing himself a bit too hard and would need to find his own voice to properly fill Kaplan's shoes.

"[Kaplan] gave me some of the best advice and was so kind to me," Sallee again told Mass Live. "He's like, 'Really be you, don't try to be me and fill my shoes.' He's like, 'Just take that pressure away. You don't need it.'" This advice helped Sallee realize that the only person he needed to be was himself.

In a 2025 interview with Parade, Scott Hoying opened up about his early experiences auditioning for reality singing competitions. He recalled spending months just trying to make it to the point where he would finally get to perform in front of the shows' judges, only to have his dreams dashed. According to Scott, he was often just one approval away from making it to the televised rounds. "It was so frustrating," he said.

Hoying recalled one "American Idol" producer refusing to send him on because his performance was "too musical theater." When he auditioned again the following year, the same producer told him, "You're still not right for the show." Hoying also struck out with "The Voice" before finally getting his chance to shine on the small screen on "The Sing-Off."

Hoying returned to the world of reality TV when he competed on "Dancing with the Stars" in 2025. In an interview with "Good Morning America," his pro partner, Rylee Arnold, revealed that he had a medical condition that he had to make special adjustments for while dancing: scoliosis. "My spine is a squiggly line," Hoying added. Fans felt that the judges did him dirty with their low scores — all 5s — for his first performance, and, unfortunately, he finished 10th in the competition. "I'm so sad to go," Hoying told Extra. It was especially hard for him to get sent home after performing in front of a guest judge he was looking forward to meeting: the director of the "Wicked" movie, Jon M. Chu.

In 2016, Kirstin Maldonado got engaged to fellow singer Jeremy Michael Lewis, whom she met on "The Sing-Off." Lewis shared the happy news in a since-deleted Instagram post that read in part (via Us Weekly), "No words could begin to describe the feelings and impact you have had on my life over the past 2 and a half years. ... What we have is special." He made sure his proposal was romantic and unforgettable by popping the question in Paris with the Eiffel Tower as a backdrop. Multiple interviews about the couple's impending nuptials followed, with Maldonado telling People that she and Lewis had no plans to perform any special songs on their big day. She did, however, reveal to HuffPost that she was struggling to book a favorite performer. "Their manager hasn't been getting back to us. I'm so sad," she said.

According to Radar, Maldonado had another reason to be sad when she and Lewis decided to call off their 2017 wedding weeks before it was scheduled. The couple was still together at the time, and in his engagement post, Lewis indicated that they had worked through relationship woes before. "Although there have been countless times something has tried to get in our way and pull us apart, the only thing that matters is that we never listened," he wrote.

The couple never did make it to the altar, but Maldonado met her future husband, videographer Ben Hausdorff, the following year. As for Lewis, he married YouTuber Lauren Riihimaki, aka LaurDIY, in 2024.

Matt Sallee's musical prowess is deeply tied to his religious roots; he joins the list of celebs like Ellen DeGeneres who had a religious upbringing. Matt's Christian household was led by his father, Ernest Sallee, who now serves as the Pastor of Worship and Arts at South Potomac Church in White Plains, Maryland. Matt "grew up singing next to him [Ernest] in Baltimore City," as he recalled in a chat with CBN. He started practicing  at 4, got baptized in the third grade, and honed his skills in the church.

Even though religion played a significant part in nurturing Matt's talent, his personal conviction wasn't rock solid. When he was in college, Matt struggled with spiritual doubt. "I was mad at God for a while. And I was confused," the singer disclosed in an interview with Crosswalk. "But I'm a worshipper at heart, and anytime I ever stepped foot in a church, worship music would come on, and I would immediately feel intertwined with it. I would just start bawling. Because I feel this void – I know that I have to worship."

Matt was midway through college when he decided to amend his relationship with God. The "Let's Stay Together" singer would eventually dedicate his time to ministry as a member of the worship team at Expression 58, a church in Glendale, California. In 2019, the group released its debut album, "Make Way," which was well-received by Matt's fellow Pentatonix members.

For years, Mitch Grassi kept details about his love life under wraps. However, in a video shared on his and Scott Hoying's YouTube channel, Superfruit, the comedy duo responded to a fan's question by affirming that they had a pact: If they were to find themselves single at 35, they would date each other. Of course, that didn't happen, since Hoying and Mark Manio tied the knot in a dreamy wedding in Santa Barbara, California, in July 2023. The couple first crossed paths at a party and were together for six years before walking down the aisle.

Grassi also found love right around the time Hoying was getting hitched. He and his partner met at a Pentatonix concert in Germany, but Grassi's packed touring schedule made navigating a long-distance relationship difficult. "It was really hard to find times to talk to him," Grassi recalled in his chat with Lyndsanity. "I was busy and I was just like, 'Oh, it's great,' but it's also torturous because you want to be 24/7 talking to the person that you're so in love with."

Not one to waste his creative prowess, Grassi used the situation as inspiration for his song "Not Yet," on his 2025 compilation, "Cuts." The pair got a puppy together and is set to say "I do" at the time of writing. Grassi announced their engagement in an Instagram post shared in October 2025.

Experiencing the death of someone close can be devastating, and Pentatonix member Kevin Olusola has been open about the profound losses he has faced within his family. In a May 2023 Instagram post, Kevin announced the death of his grandmother, Alice Olusola. Kevin shared a montage of some of her best memories and, in his caption, wrote that she "deserves all the praise in the world." 

Kevin remembered his grandmother for her commitment to religion, extraordinary intellect, and disruptive business acumen. He further hailed her for being a cheerleader who was always supportive of his pursuits, writing, "She rooted for me at every significant stage of life, whether it was my schooling or my transition into music." The singer vowed to pass on his grandmother's teachings to his children and concluded his tribute with a touching bible verse.

Two years later, Kevin lost yet another family member abruptly. The cellist took to Facebook to reveal that he was a pallbearer at the funeral and was crushed to witness his relatives in agony. In the post, which he captioned, "I miss you, Vic," Kevin honored the departed's memory by playing an instrumental rendition of his song "Smile." Music has been known to have a cathartic effect, and celebrities like Nick Cannon have admitted to using it to express their grief. It therefore goes without saying that Kevin's emotional tribute stirred the hearts of his fans, many of whom took to the comments section to share their own struggles with loss.

Scott Hoying's journey to fully living his truth was not without its challenges. Even though his mom, Connie Hoying, offered him a shoulder to lean on when he came out, she was open to letting him talk to a counselor who had "gone through a process to become 'straight,' as she explained in her memoir (via LGBTQ Nation). Connie emphasized that, at the time, she had no knowledge about conversion therapy.

Scott had last-minute jitters prior to the meeting, but he still attended it at Connie's insistence. As Connie recalled, the meeting deviated from a laid-back chat about masculinity and "took a darker turn that upset Scott." "The counselor brought up some of the religious aspects about homosexuality being a sin and the possibility of going to hell," Connie wrote.

The one-time experience had Scott in tears for 24 hours and would eventually inspire his 2025 song "Pray." In a post promoting the track, Scott claimed those saying anyone could simply pray their way out of being gay was skewed. Scott further told his audience that the publishing of the single was cathartic. And as a testament to his artistry, he gave the song a satirical praise-style church sound.