RIP 'America's Got Talent': Brandon Rodgers to Neal E Boyd, full list of contestants who have died
You laugh with them and shed tears with them, it's all a part and parcel of being invested in reality shows and their contestants. Television shows reach a wider audience, more than movies, and that's why people connect more to TV personalities than they would to movie stars. Viewers invest their time and resources to ensure their favorite contestants are doing okay and are advancing to the later stages of a competition.
So when something tragic happens to these people you've watched on your favorite shows and rooted for them while at it, chances are you feel the need to grieve the loss as well. One of the biggest reality shows on television, 'America's Got Talent' is coming back with Season 16 and before it does, let's honor the contestants who have died over the years.
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Neal E Boyd
Neal E Boyd was a part of 'AGT' Season 3 that aired in 2008. He didn't come from money and only had his talent to fall back on. He won 'America's Got Talent' that year after exhibiting his ethereal vocals throughout the course of the competition.
Subsequently, he released an album, titled 'My American Dream', and Boyd had performances for political figures like Bill Clinton, George Bush Sr and Jr and Barack Obama under his belt. Ten years later, on June 12, 2018, news broke that the opera singer died. He died at his mother's home in Sikeston, Missouri, from heart failure and liver disease. A year prior to that, he had been in a serious car accident with his mother where they all had veered off the road and hit a tree.
Brandon Rodgers
Dr Brandon Rodgers took the Internet by storm after a video of him singing in scrubs went viral. That's when the people at 'America's Got Talent' approached him to participate on the show which he did but he wasn't able to reap the benefits of the added fame that he garnered after the audition went live. Rodgers died before America could witness his greatness as a performer.
The incident happened near Hanover, Maryland, on June 10, 2017. He was riding shotgun while on his way to a family event when his friend fell asleep on the wheel causing a crash. Rodgers suffered grave injuries and died a day later. The 29-year-old doctor had sung a Boyz II Men classic in the viral video, and the '90s band later took notice of this and had invited him on stage with them at a show in Las Vegas. The band posted a tribute to him after his death.
"Today our hearts are deeply saddened to learn about the sudden death of Dr Brandon Rogers in a car accident. A few moths back we brought this young man out to the Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas to perform with us. He was great all 3 nights! Just a genuinely nice person and a really good singer! Gone too young and gone too soon. It hurts to know that the world will never have a chance to witness what his impact on the world could have been as a Doctor and even on the music world. A great spirit and a great voice. Even for the little time we knew you you will be sorely miss. May God Bless, keep and comfort your family in this difficult time," they wrote.
'America's Got Talent' Season 16 premieres on June 1 at 8 pm ET on NBC.