The Heartbreaking Death Of AGT Star Nightbirde

On February 21, TMZ broke the news that "America's Got Talent" star Jane "Nightbirde" Marczewski died after a lengthy battle with cancer. She was just 31 years old. According to a source close to Nightbirde, the former contestant died on Sunday from cancer that had spread to her lungs, spine, and liver.

The public first meet Nightbirde during Season 16 of "America's Got Talent." Nightbirde's audition, in which she sang an original song called "It's Okay," brought the show's judges to tears and she eventually earned a spot in the semifinals, before being forced to withdraw from the competition due to her failing health. It was also during her public debut on "America's Got Talent" that Nightbirde revealed the extent of her cancer diagnosis and chances of survival. "I have a two percent chance of survival, but two percent is not zero percent. Two percent is something, and I wish people knew how amazing it is," Nightbirde said at the time.

Howie Mandel, Terry Crews, and Heidi Klum have already posted heartfelt tributes to the singer. "@_nightbirde was such a bright inspirational light in all our lives," Mandel said on Twitter. "We must continue to live and learn from her words and lyrics. As much as I feel horribly about her passing I feel lucky to have met, heard, and known her."

Back in September 2021, Jane "Nightbirde" Marczewski wrote a lengthy Instagram post about her ongoing cancer battle and how she was struggling to come to terms with her recent withdrawal from "America's Got Talent." "It's so hard for me to not be on the @agt stage for the finals this week," Nightbirde said in an Instagram post. "I bet you never saw someone win so hard and lose so hard at the same time. This isn't how the story was supposed to go. I spend a lot of time squeezing my eyes shut and trying to remember what I believe; counting my breaths in the grief cloud; burying my face into God's t-shirt. ... Here we are, you and I, signing off on the risk of REBELLIOUSLY HOPING for better days. Let us not be blind to our own glory."

Nightbirde's last post on her Instagram page, back in January 2022, while melancholy, still managed to showcase her desire to make her dreams of becoming a successful musician come true. "Honestly, things have been pretty brutal. But this is a photo of myself from last week where I felt pretty, and alive, and awake, and human, and real. I needed that. We're all a little lost and it's alright," Nightbirde wrote in an Instagram post, along with the hashtag, "#stillgotdreams."