‘AGT’ deaths: Remembering the contestants we’ve lost on ‘America’s Got Talent,’ including Kabir Singh

Marcus James Dixon

December 6, 2024 at 4:17 PM·5 min read

NBC’s reality TV show “America’s Got Talent” has been a part of our lives for the better part of two decades, originally debuting in Summer 2006. Season after season, viewers find themselves falling in love with a countless number of auditioners, which is why it’s so gut-wrenching when one of them eventually passes away. In our photo gallery above, we take a moment to remember all of the talented acts who left us too soon, including most recently comedian Kabir Singh. “‘AGT’ deaths: Remembering the contestants we’ve lost on ‘America’s Got Talent'” was originally published March 2022. All of the names listed here are in alphabetical order.

Scott Alexander
This magician rose to fame during the sixth season of “AGT” where he made it all the way to the Quarterfinals. Following the show, Scott continued doing magic and even appeared on the second season of “Penn & Teller: Fool Us.” His wife revealed he had passed away on Feb. 5, 2023, at age 52, after having a stroke while performing magic on a cruise ship. Watch his “AGT” audition:

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Bernie Barker
Bernie’s death in 2007 was the result of losing his battle with prostate cancer. Just one year earlier, on the show’s first season, he shocked the judges with his naughty stripper act to the song “She Bangs.” He received two “yes” votes but was eliminated in the next round.

Neal E. Boyd
Neal died in 2018 at age 42 due to heart failure, kidney failure and liver disease. America couldn’t get enough of this opera singer and voted him as the million-dollar winner of the third season in 2008. Fellow opera singer Paul Potts dedicated one of his “AGT: The Champions” performances to Neal in 2019.

Michael Paul Cathers (Geechy Guy)
This low-energy comedian from Season 6 of “AGT” was eventually cut in the Quarterfinals after being buzzed by Piers Morgan. He’s in the Guinness Book of World Records for telling the most jokes (676) in one hour. Geechy Guy died on Sept. 7, 2023.

Tim Fort (The Kinetic King)
Tim passed away in 2016 at age 51 after suffering a series of strokes. His amazing chain reactions brought him to the quarterfinals of “AGT” back in 2011, where he was eliminated. The aptly named The Kinetic King then returned as a wild card in the semifinals.

Skilyr Hicks
Skilyr passed away of a suspected drug overdose in December 2021. The singer and guitarist performed an original song during her 2013 audition (when she was just 14 years old) and received four “yes” votes from the panelists. Skilyr was eventually eliminated before the live shows began.

Jane Kristen Marczewski (Nightbirde)
Nightbirde lost her four-year battle with cancer in February 2022 at age 31. She became an instant sensation when she auditioned in 2021 with her original song “It’s Okay,” earning Simon Cowell’s Golden Buzzer in the process. “It’s important that everyone knows I’m so much more than the bad things that happened to me,” she declared at her audition. Nightbirde withdrew from the show when her cancer returned (read her full statement), but the judges later checked in with her live via Zoom.

SEE ‘America’s Got Talent’ winners list: All seasons, plus ‘The Champions’

Hannibal Means
This low-voiced singer made it all the way to the Quarterfinals of Season 5, where he was eliminated after receiving mixed reviews. Following his bombastic performance of “Circle of Life,” for which he made all of the hats, Howie Mandel famously asked him what planet he was from. Hannibal Means died on Feb. 10, 2021.

Mr. Piffles
This trusty dog sidekick served as the assistant to Piff the Magic Dragon for more than a decade. Mr. Piffles was 16 when he went to doggy heaven on Nov. 13, 2024, with his human magician making this statement on social media: “For over 15 years I’ve had the privilege and the pleasure of being upstaged and outshone night after night by that little ball of fluffy indifference. He came into my life when I had nothing, and set me on the path to a career I could only dream of. In the beginning, I may have rescued him, but in the end, he rescued me. I love you so much Mr Piffles. #RIPiffles.”

Brandon Rogers
Brandon tragically perished in a 2017 car accident before his audition was ever shown to audiences. “AGT” got permission from the family to still broadcast the 29-year-old doctor’s performance of “Ribbon In The Sky” on television, and it’s since gone viral.

Kabir Singh
The comedian died on Dec. 4, 2024, at the age of 39. According to family members, he passed away in his sleep in his California home. Kabir earned four “yes” votes from the judges in the Season 16 auditions based on his hilarious stand-up routine. In the Quarterfinals, his act included how he never saw Indians on “Deal or No Deal,” and in the Semifinals (his last episode), he earned a red buzzer from Simon after telling jokes about dating.

Frances Lee Strong (Grandma Lee)
Grandma Lee died in 2020, six months after falling and breaking her hip. The 85-year-old stand-up comedian made waves in 2009 with her saucy act that brought her all the way to the “AGT” season finale. She remains one of the show’s most beloved (and original) comedy acts.

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