Beloved America's Got Talent Star Nightbirde Dead at 31

Singer shared her battle with cancer on the show
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 22, 2022 12:43 AM CST
America's Got Talent Breakout Star Dead at 31
Stock photo.   (Getty Images / Nagaiets)

When Nightbirde auditioned for America's Got Talent last summer, the singer revealed she was battling cancer in her lungs, spine, and liver, and that she had a 2% chance of survival. "But 2% is not 0%," she said. "Two percent is something." She was popular with the judges and the audience alike during her run on season 16; Simon Cowell used his "golden buzzer" to send her straight to the live shows, and her original song "It's Okay" got millions of views and streams, People reports. On Saturday, she died at age 31, TMZ reports. She had pulled out of the reality competition in August after making it to the quarterfinals, because her health took a turn for the worse.

"It was always her dream for her music to be heard by millions. That's what's happened off the back of this," Cowell had said when he revealed the Ohio singer, born Jane Marczewski, would not be able to make the finals. The AGT judges and host were mourning her on social media. She "was such a bright inspirational light in all our lives," judge Howie Mandel tweeted. "[W]e must continue to live and learn from her words and lyrics. As much as I feel horribly about her passing I feel lucky to to have met, heard and known her." (More America's Got Talent stories.)

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