What happened to John Hetlinger? 'AGT' fans mourn death of 'legendary' heavy metal singer at 89
BROOMFIELD, COLORADO: John Hetlinger, a beloved 'America's Got Talent' participant, died at the age of 89 earlier this year. In 2016, the Colorado native stunned the judges and audiences alike with his singing audition.
John was a vocalist on 'AGT' Season 11. In the Judge Cuts, he was eliminated. John's audition consisted of him performing Drowning Pool's 'Bodies'.
Despite the fact that Heidi Klum voted no Howie Mandel, Simon Cowell, and then-judge Mel B all voted yes sending John to Judge Cuts.
How did John Hetlinger die?
John was born on January 1, 1934, in Huron, South Dakota, according to his obituary. After earning a bachelor's degree in chemistry, he worked as a Lutheran minister.
He was also the program manager for the Corrective Optics Space Telescope Axial Replacement (COSTAR) instrument, designed to restore the high image quality in the Hubble Space Telescope.
His obituary states that he also worked "with space-based infrared systems defense, and he worked on the Apollo Saturn program. He also served as a US Navy Pilot."
The AGT competitor was married twice and had four children from his first marriage. He also adopted two children during his second marriage.
"John was known for his love of karaoke. His sheer passion for singing was unmatched. His rendition of "Bodies" by Drowning Pool on America’s Got Talent will forever be legendary. John's fans eagerly anticipated his performances and were never disappointed," declares his obituary.
According to his relatives, his "pacemaker was turned off" and he died of heart failure. "Surprisingly, it was not caused by karaoke-related screaming," they concluded.
John performed onstage with Drowning Pool at the Ink in the Clink Festival
A Reddit user brought to the notice of 'AGT' fans that John died on May 14, 2023. "Idk if this is old news for all of you but it’s brand new to me…I just learned that John Hetlinger passed away in May."
"He was a legend and I never forgot how pleasantly surprised I was when he sang Bodies. RIP," they wrote, along with sharing the link to his obituary.
"Oh, I just found this out right now," one admirer commented on the thread. Another added, "One of the most legendary auditions of all-time."
Unfortunately for John, he was eliminated in the Judge Cuts round of 'AGT,' and he did not move to the quarterfinals.
Following his participation in 'AGT', John had the opportunity to perform Bodies with Drowning Pool at the 2016 Chicago Open Air Festival.
Following the show, he got prison tattoos with Drowning Pool's manager, getting the band's logo on his shoulder.