REPORT: Clay Aiken's Primary Opponent Dies Suddenly

North Carolina businessman Keith Crisco reportedly died suddenly Monday, six days after he faced off against "American Idol" star Clay Aiken in a House race that ended in a near dead heat. Initial official results showed Aiken with a 369 vote lead, however, last Wednesday, Crisco issued a statement saying he would wait for officials to complete a canvass of the results and release "final numbers" before giving up.

"This election is still very tight," Crisco said.

According to the Courier-Tribune newspaper, Crisco "died suddenly" after "he suffered injuries from a fall around 1 p.m. at his home" in Asheboro, N.C. Monday. However, the paper noted information about the incident was "incomplete." The Asheboro police department did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

On Thursday, Crisco campaign spokesman Aaron Fiedler told Business Insider he had no new updates about the status of the race. The campaign has not sent out any new information since Crisco's initial statement last week.

On Monday, Business Insider sent an email to Fiedler's address inquiring about the report of Crisco's death. That email bounced back. The North Carolina State Board of Elections also did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider Monday.