SINGER-SONGWRITER Nightbirde stole the hearts of America in 2021 after receiving the golden buzzer on America's Got Talent.
After being forced to leave the show due to her treatments for metastatic breast cancer, viewers were heartbroken.
Nightbirde's real name was Jane Marczewski, and she sadly passed away in 2022 after losing her battle with cancer.
After sending in an audition tape to AGT the 31-year-old was invited to the show and wowed Simon Cowell and his fellow judges with her moving performance of an original song called It's Okay.
She instantly won over an emotional Simon who honored her with the coveted Golden Buzzer, while the other judges and the crowd gave her a standing ovation and rapturous applause.
The entertainer became an overnight sensation after her incredible audition, with a video of her performance racking up over 30 million views on YouTube.
Simon told ET that he thought Nightbirde would have made it all the way if she stayed in the competition.
The AGT judge said then: "Would she have won tonight? I think she probably would, actually.
"And I think she knows that deep down.
"Having said that, she knows she made the right decision."
Nightbirde was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer that had progressed as time went on.
In August 2021, she revealed that her cancer had worsened and that she would leave AGT before the quarter-finals to focus on her health.
In August 2021, the singer wrote alongside a black and white photo of herself: "Sharing my heart with the world on AGT has been an honor and a dream come true.
My point of view this summer has been astounding.
"What a miracle that the pain I've walked through can be reworked into beauty that makes people all over the world open their eyes wider."
She continued: "Since my audition, my health has taken a turn for the worse and the fight with cancer is demanding all of my energy and attention.
"I am so sad to announce that I won't be able to continue forward on this season of AGT.
"Life doesn't always give breaks to those that deserve it - but we knew that already.
"
Nightbirde concluded: "Thank you for all your support, it means the world to me. Stay with me, I'll be better soon. I'm planning my future, not my legacy. Pretty beat up, but I've still got dreams."
In December 2021, she shared on social media that being alive was a "miracle" and added a month later that things had gotten "pretty brutal."
Despite months of treatment, Nightbirde passed away on February 20, 2022, after the cancer reportedly spread to her lungs, spine, and liver, according to TMZ.
The Nightbirde Foundation was established in her honor with the goal of providing "Hope and healing" to breast cancer patients.
Her family has also released Nightbirde's music posthumously on her behalf. In 2023, Nightbirde's debut album It's Ok was released.
Her cover of You Get What You Give by New Radicals was released on February 19, 2024, the anniversary of her passing.
During an episode of America's Got Talent on Tuesday, July 5, 2022, Simon commented on the late Nightbirde.
He reflected on the last time he spoke with her during the show.
He said tearfully: "The last time I saw her, she did say what that [Golden Buzzer] moment meant to her."
The moment came after the judges went through their favorite Golden Buzzer moments from the show and Simon picked Nightbirde's audition as his favorite.
Nightbirde was married to her husband, Jeremy Claudio, in 2015.
They formally separated in 2020, and she moved from Tennessee to California following the split.
Nightbirde had no children before she passed away, but she did have nieces and nephews through her siblings.
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