Nightbirde, ‘America’s Got Talent’ star, dies of cancer. ‘Bright inspirational light’
Nightbirde, a fan favorite on last year’s season of “America’s Got Talent,” has died from cancer, the show announced. She was 31.
The family of Nightbirde, whose given name is Jane Marczewski, said in a statement that she died Feb. 19.
“Her lasting legacy will be the gift of hope she gave to so many through her music and the strength she found in Jesus,” her family said, USA Today reported.
The Zanesville, Ohio, native earned Simon Cowell’s golden buzzer during her audition round that aired last June. She also received a standing ovation from the crowd and all four judges for her performance of “It’s OK,” a song about the last year of her life with cancer.
But as her cancer worsened, she opted to drop out of the show, McClatchy News reported.
“America’s Got Talent” host Terry Crews was among the show’s stars to comment on the death of Nightbirde.
“We are saddened to learn about @Nightbirde’s passing,” Crews said. “Our condolences goes to her closest family & friends in such of this difficult time. We love you, Nightbirde.”
Howie Mandel, a longtime judge on the show, called her a “bright inspirational light in all of our lives.”
“We must continue to live and learn from her words and lyrics,” Mandel tweeted. “As much as I feel horribly about her passing I feel lucky to have met, heard and known her.”
Nightbirde had mostly been off social media during 2022 but said in a post last month that “things have been pretty brutal.”
When she appeared on “AGT” last year, she said she had a 2% chance of surviving her cancer, McClatchy News reported.
“But 2% is not 0%,” she said. “Two percent is something and I wish people knew how amazing it is.”
She released a heartfelt post on the day of last season’s “AGT” season finale, commenting on how hard it was to not be on the stage.
“I bet you never saw someone win so hard and lose so hard at the same time,” she said in September. “This isn’t how the story was supposed to go.”
Nightbirde’s “AGT” audition has racked up more than 40 million views since June, with many people commenting on how inspirational her journey has been.
“AGT” judges Sofia Vergara and Heidi Klum both posted on their Instagram stories about Nightbirde’s death.
“Rest in power @nightbirde,” Vergara said. “We lost a shining star today. You were a true inspiration to us all.”
“We love you. Rest in peace @nightbirde,” Klum added.