Twenty-five-year-old R&B sensation Ruben Studdard won the second season of American Idol last night, besting lite crooner Clay Aiken before 6,000 fans at Los Angeles' Universal Amphitheater.

Nearly 26 million viewers tuned in to the show's two-hour finale, during which Studdard's performance, including a rendition of Westlife's "Flying Without Wings" topped Aiken's take on Simon and Garfunkel's "Bridge Over Troubled Water." More than 24 million votes were called in, with Studdard, a Birmingham, Alabama, native, taking 50.28 percent, a margin of only 130,000.

Like previous winner Kelly Clarkson, whose debut album Thankful, topped the pop charts last month, Studdard will receive a $1 million recording contract. Both Studdard and Aiken will record a new single next month.