America’s Got Talent contestant Brandon Rogers dies before audition airs
According to a report from TMZ, Rogers (who was a doctor in his day job) died over the weekend following a car accident in Maryland. He was a performer discovered by show producers who saw him singing a cover of Boyz II Men’s “On Bended Knee” on Instagram. (You can check out one of the performances from his account below.) The video went fairly viral at the time, and the group even brought him in to perform at one of their shows.
Rogers’ audition was slated to air on an upcoming episode this season. His family, according to the aforementioned publication, would like the audition to still air. He was an immensely talented guy, so it’s easy to envision him getting a great deal of praise from the judges.
It’s understandable why Rogers’ passing puts America’s Got Talent in a bit of a quagmire, given that this is such a happy, uplifting show. Yet, airing the audition is the right thing to do if the family wants it. He got a chance to live out a part of his dream, and that should be celebrated. There is a message in here, as well, about the fragility of life and how we should all chase and pursue our dreams today. We don’t unfortunately know if we will be around tomorrow in order to do so. Maybe his audition ends up inspiring someone else out there to do something that they’ve always wanted to do, and that inspiration is the sort of thing that his family can look back on and remember while they mourn a man they loved and cared for.
There is a new episode of America’s Got Talent airing tonight, and we’ll be back while it airs to offer up some further coverage of the auditions. For now, our heart goes out to Rogers’ friends and family during what has to be a difficult time for them.