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82-year-old grandpa wows ‘America's Got Talent’ judges with a heavy metal scream they never saw coming

John Hetlinger performed 'Bodies' by Drowning Pool on 'AGT,' and the band even invited him to rock out with them later

If you thought that rock and roll is just for the young, this contestant will prove you wrong. John Hetlinger, who introduced himself as an 82-year-old ex-aeroscope engineer and an ex-Navy pilot, walked onto the 'America's Got Talent' stage for an audition in season 11 in 2016. While judges wondered what he would do, he took a full-throttle take on a headbanging song of Drowning Pool's 'Bodies.' His energetic performance not only stunned judges Mel B, Heidi Klum, Howie Mandel, and Simon Cowell, but also earned him a million of fan-following.  

Cowell confessed he expected Hetlinger to sing, 'Fly Me To The Moon,' but he loved his performance. Mel B and Mandel also gave him a green light, but Klum had a different take and said, "I think you guys are going mad," and said, "No." Fans rushed to the YouTube comments section to defend the performer. A viewer of the show said, "Heidi is a buzzkill and needs to learn to have a little laugh every so often." Criticizing Klum, another fan of the singer wrote, "Even simon agrees and he’s the stingy guy," adding, "Meanwhile, this lady disapproves of this 82-year-old guy, just because she doesn’t like rock."

Praising Hetlinger, a YouTube user said, "His voice wasn't great but DAMN he went for it HARD. Kudos and 12/10 for sheer attitude." Echoing the sentiment, another wrote, "I cannot express how much joy this brings me. This guy goes for it and has so much confidence and energy." Adding to the stream of compliments, another netizen penned, "I love that John wasn't fitting the usual stereo type of his age group. What a legend." Even the band itself praised the singer on X and posted, "Shout out to the 82 year old dude that sang 'Bodies' on America's Got Talent. You are welcome to join us on stage anytime !!!"

After the audition, the guitarist of the rock band, CJ Pierce, reacted to the 82-year-old's rendition of their song and told Loudwire, "I am so entertained by it. It's awesome to just see an 82-year-old man get out there and just belt out some metal -- whether it was our song or any song, it was just killer to see him do that,” before hinting at a possible on-stage collaboration. “He had a great time with the song, and we have a great time with the song every night, so it would be awesome to have him onstage with us.” The same year, the band performed a gig with Hetlinger at the Chicago Open Air Fest, as reported by Billboard. 

According to NPR, Hetlinger also became a star for the 'Born and Bred Metalhead' Facebook page. A video of the octogenarian performing 'Bodies' drew millions of viewers. As reported by The US Sun, even though Hetlinger advanced to the next round with three "yes" votes, he did not make it to the Judges' Cut round. The outlet also reported his passing in 2023 at the age of 89, marking an end to a truly incredible journey.