Simon Cowell broke down in tears as choir performed song of a late singer: 'Gosh, give me one...'
Simon Cowell may appear tough, but he is a big softie at heart! During the grand premiere of 'America's Got Talent' Season 18, Cowell broke down in tears after seeing the Mzansi Youth Choir performing the late Season 16 contestant Nightbirde's song 'It's OK.' Following the performance, the studio audience began chanting for the group to help them get a Golden Buzzer. According to a report by The Mirror, Cowell allowed the audience to choose their Golden Buzzer winner. With tears in his eyes, Cowell quipped, "This brought back so many memories for me. This is hard. Gosh, give me one second."
At that moment, it took Cowell a while to calm down as his fellow judge, Sofia Vergara, patted him on the back. After collecting himself together, Cowell went on to say, "I know how much this would have meant to her; it would. Right until the end, she was so passionate about sharing her music. And this has gone all over the world. And you come back here with the most amazing tribute. It was just breathtaking, honestly."
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For the unversed, let us share with you that Nightbirde, whose real name was Jane Kristen Marczewski, competed on Season 16 of 'America's Got Talent,' but she had to leave the NBC show due to her cancer diagnosis. Unfortunately, Nightbirde ended up losing her battle to cancer, and she passed away at the age of 31 in February 2022. Watching the performance of the Mzansi Youth Choir, who came from South Africa, stirred up some beautiful memories for Cowell and the other judges.
Howie Mandel, taken aback by the choir's gig, placed his hands on his head while watching their beautiful performance. At the end of the act, the Mzansi Youth Choir received a standing ovation from the esteemed judging panel. Soon after, Heidi Klum gushed over Nightbirde and exclaimed, "For anyone who doesn't know, we lost a very special person from our AGT family. Her name is Jane. Her nickname was Nightbird, and she sang the song. It has a very special meaning in my heart. It was really beautiful, thank you."
As per the Daily Mail, while sharing her thoughts on the choir's act, Vergara said, "What a surprise to hear that song, and your voices are fantastic. That was the perfect AGT audition," meanwhile Mandel chimed in, "I'll always remember Nightbirde and to see that it touched people on the other side of the globe. Unbelievable." Soon after, Cowell, who hit his Golden Buzzer for Nightbirde, asked the South African choir, "Can I ask why you decided to sing that song?" Then, a choir member stated that they were inspired by Nightbirde's story and wanted to pay a heartwarming tribute to her by recording the song. The choir member shared, "To our surprise, she responded so beautifully. This song has been such a pillar of strength for us, as a choir, through difficult times. We just wanted to continue her legacy, and that's why we chose this song."
At that point, Cowell uttered, "I'm going to suggest something we've never done before, but we've always discussed one day giving the audience something. This is for you. This is for Jane." All the judges held hands and hit the Golden Buzzer as the crowd chanted 'Golden Buzzer.' Following that, the golden confetti fell down on the choir, and all the members of the choir hugged each other while expressing their happiness and joy.