Former American Idol judge Paula Abdul and current host Ryan Seacrest have paid tribute to the former contestant on the show who was killed at the weekend. Alexis Cohen, who auditioned for the show in 2007, 2008 and 2009, was killed when she was struck by a car in New Jersey – and police have now arrested a man on charges of causing death by reckless driving following the fatal hit-and-run. Writing on Twitter, Paula said, “My heart goes out to the family of Alexis Cohen – she showed great courage at Idol and let's all send our prayers to her family now. Also on Twitter, Ryan added, “My thoughts are with the Cohen family. It is such a sad story. She auditioned for the producers this season and then the terrible news.”