America’s Got Talent has issued a statement in the wake of a tragedy.
Earlier this week, Dr. Brandon Rogers was killed in a car accident, passing away at the very young age of 29.
The aspiring singer had been featured on an episode of the NBC reality series that has not yet aired, reportedly blowing the judges and the audience away with his vocals.
On Wednesday, four days after the crash took place and a day after the awful news broke, those behind America’s Got Talent acknowledged the death as follows:
“We are deeply saddened by the tragic passing of Dr. Brandon Rogers, who graced the America’s Got Talent stage as a contestant.
“Our thoughts are with his family.”
Rogers graduated from medical school in 2015 and was dedicated to his life as a doctor, friends and loved has explained this week.
However, he dabbled in music as a hobby and caught the attention of America’s Got Talent producers after they watched a video of him online, covering the Boyz II Men single “On Bended Knee.”
This cover even impressed the boy band itself, which invited Jackson to sing the ballad with them during a concert in January.
“This past weekend has been nothing short of amazing!!” wrote Jackson on Instagram shortly after this amazing experience.
“Sharing the stage with my idols…literally a dream come true!!” he added at the time. “Thank you SO much to 3 of the dopest most insanely talented singers ever @BoyzIIMen!!”
According to TMZ, the friend who was driving the car in which Rogers died fell asleep at the wheel early Saturday morning. The vehicle then veered off the road and slammed into a tree.
In an official report from the Maryland State Police, the driver told authorities he had just finished a long shift at work.
Rogers, who was pulled out of the car by this same driver, died from injuries he sustained on Sunday in the hospital.
His episode of America’s Got Talent is slated to air next month, but producers are reportedly torn on whether or not to keep his appearance on the schedule.
A source tells Us Weekly that NBC “will take the family’s guidance regarding how to best respect his memory in relationship to the episode he appears in.”
In response to Rogers’ death, Boyz II Men released a statement of its own on Tuesday.
“Today our hearts are deeply saddened to learn about the sudden death of Dr. Brandon Rogers,” it reads.
“A few moths back we brought this young man out to the Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas to perform with us. He was great all 3 nights!
“Just a genuinely nice person and a really good singer! Gone too young and gone too soon.”
You can watch Rogers take to the stage with this legendary group below:
We send our thoughts and prayers to the friends, family members and loved ones of Dr. Brandon Rogers.
May he rest in peace.
In related sad news, you can click around the following photo gallery for a look back at all the celebrities who have died in 2017.
May they all rest in peace.
