A "heartbroken" Simon Cowell has paid tribute to America's Got Talent singer Jane 'Nightbirde' Marczewski after the 31-year-old died from the cancer she had been battling for four years.
Nightbirde earned a 'Golden Buzzer' from Cowell on the talent show with an original song called 'I'm OK'. During her audition, she revealed the cancer she was suffering from had spread to her lungs, spine and liver.
"You can't wait until life isn't hard anymore before you decide to be happy," she told the judges at the time.
The songwriter shared that she had a two percent chance of survival, adding "but two percent isn't zero percent. Two percent is something and I wish people knew how amazing it is".
After automatically advancing through to the next round, the singer was forced to withdraw from the competition after her health "took a turn for the worse".
"Life doesn’t always give breaks to those that deserve it - but we knew that already," she wrote on Instagram at the time.
Following news of Nightbirde's death, Cowell tweeted: "Heart breaking news to hear about @_nightbirde, she was an extraordinary person, so brave, so talented.
"She made a huge impact on AGT and the world. Her determination to fight this terrible illness was remarkable. Rest in peace, Jane. I am sending my love to her family," he added.
Host of AGT Terry Crews also sent his condolences, telling Nightbirde "we love you" on Instagram.
