Jennifer Lopez in tears on American Idol

American Idol judges Randy Jackson, Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez looked shocked and upset when host Ryan Seacrest announced the elimination of James Durbin, who was their favourite. And when it was time for the 22-year-old singer to pack off, Jennifer Lopez couldn"t hold back her tears.

Jennifer Lopez was in tears as she bid adieu to James Durbin, giving him a standing ovation. James was also in tears as he said, “Man, I worked so damn hard to get here. And ... God, I was really hoping to get there, but I had a feeling today. ... I did so much stuff that's never been done on this show before. ... In my eyes, in my mind and what I believe is that I did what I came here to do, and that was to give metal a chance."

He took to the stage one last time by singing Paul Mccartney's track “Maybe I'm Amazed". He thanked the audience for being so good to him. His departure has now left Scott McCreery, Lauren Alaina and Haley Reinhart in the fray for the American Idol title.