‘AGT’ Standout Nightbirde Leaves Competition Due to Battle With Cancer
Trae Patton/ NBC/ Instagram Reading Time: 3 minutes
Simon Cowell’s Golden Buzzer winner Nightbirde has left the competition due to her ongoing battle with cancer. At the time of her audition, Nightbirde shared that she had cancer in her spine, lungs, and liver. In an Instagram post shared with fans this morning, the singer announced that her “health has taken a turn for the worse” forcing her to leave ‘America’s Got Talent.’
Nightbirde, or Jane Marczewski, stole America’s hearts during her audition thanks to her positive attitude and angelic vocals. Before her audition, she gave Terry Crews information about her diagnosis that left audiences feeling hopeful.
“I have a 2% chance of survival, but 2% is not 0%. 2% is something, and I wish people knew how amazing it is,” she said.
Although her health has apparently taken a turn for the worse, she remains positive, writing to fans:
“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.”
SEE ALSO: ‘AGT’ COMMUNITY RALLIES AROUND NIGHTBIRDE AS SHE GIVES CANCER UPDATE
Nightbirde Shared Her Cancer Diagnosis During Her Audition
Nightbirde was the first person to receive the Golden Buzzer this season. After her gorgeous performance of original song “It’s OK” left Cowell near tears, he pushed his Golden Buzzer, sending her straight through to the live shows.
After the audition aired, fans were overcome with her positivity and strength. “It’s OK” topped the iTunes charts within 24 hours of her audition. Her performance of the song live at the Maple House already has nearly 3 million streams on Spotify.
Nightbirde’s talents as a writer transcend her music lyrics. Her blog includes four powerful stories of her life’s battle. Her latest story, “Room for Air,” talks about how God put the air back into her lungs when she felt like she couldn’t breathe. In this personal story, Nightbirde shares the moment that she held a funeral for her failed marriage.
“We found an ice scraper under the seat and dug a grave in the sand,” she writes. “I crouched down and pulled my marriage certificate out of a clear plastic sleeve…I put the two wedding bands and the papers in the sand, and lit a corner. Fire and wind pulled it all apart, one fleck of feathery ash at a time.”
Continue to Support Nightbirde Outside ‘AGT’
While you will no longer be able to vote for her on AGT, there are a number of ways that you can still support Nightbirde. Other than listening to her music, fans can support her business at the Nightbirde store. Here, a variety of hoodies and T-shirts are available for purchase. Hoodies with her song title “It’s OK” along with apparel featuring the phrase “you can’t wait until life’s not hard before you decide to be happy” can be purchased on the site.
You can also support Nightbirde by donating to her GoFundMe page. The proceeds raised on this platform will be used for cancer treatments.
Although we won’t see Nightbirde continuing on in the competition, there’s not doubt that America’s Got Talent will honor the star in some way when the show returns next week.
