Matt Mauser who lost his wife Christina in the tragic Kobe Bryant helicopter crash performed Tuesday on America’s Got Talent on NBC.
The 51-year-old singer from Huntington Beach, California, before performing revealed that he was on the talent competition show because he and his wife were both school teachers who retired so that he could pursue music full time while she became a girls basketball coach with Kobe.
‘On Jan 26, 2020, I lost my wife in the same helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant,’ Matt said referencing the crash that killed Kobe at age 41, along with his daughter Gianna, 13, mother-of-three Christina, 38, and six others.
Tragic crash: Matt Mauser who lost his wife Christina in the tragic Kobe Bryant helicopter crash performed Tuesday on America’s Got Talent on NBC
Matt told host Terry Crews, 52, that before the crash that he had lived a ‘dreamy life’ with his wife, Christina.
He said she was a very humble, but powerful human being and they had three children.
Matt said when Christina left that morning that she kissed him and said she loved him.
‘That was the last thing she said to me,’ Matt said.
Lost wife: The 51-year-old singer from Huntington Beach, California, lost his wife Christina in January 2020 in the helicopter crash that killed nine people, including Kobe
Dreamy life: Matt told host Terry Crews, 52, that before the crash that he had lived a ‘dreamy life’ with his wife, Christina
He said he turned his focus to raising his children and admitted it has been ‘a rough year, but here I am.’
Simon Cowell, 61, was stunned to learn of Matt’s loss.
‘I’m so sorry,’ he said.
Three children: Christina was a mother-of-three when she died at age 38
Offering condolences: ‘I’m so sorry,’ Simon Cowell told Matt
Matt for his performance sang the Phil Collins song ‘Against All Odds’ while his three children watched from the side of the stage.
Matt while singing the lyrics ‘take a look at me now’ started crying at the end and the entire audience got up and gave him a standing ovation.
Heidi Klum, 48, said his performance was beautiful and sad.
Emotional song: Matt for his performance sang the Phil Collins song ‘Against All Odds’
Showing support: He performed while his three children watched from the side of the stage
Touching audition: Heidi Klum, 48, said his performance was beautiful and sad
All the judges gave him yeses and voted him on.
All four judges and host Terry later during the two-hour episode simultaneously pushed the Golden Buzzer to send nine-year-old girl opera singer Victory Brinker straight through to the live shows.
The audience leapt to their feet after her performance as a pigeon that had gotten into the theater flew on a speaker and sat there almost waiting for the judges to issue their decision.
Golden buzzer: All four judges and host Terry later during the two-hour episode simultaneously pushed the Golden Buzzer to send nine-year-old girl opera singer Victory Brinker straight through to the live shows
‘You are angelic and I loved it,’ Howie Mandel, 65, told her.
Heidi told Victory ‘you are incredible.’
Sofia Vergara, 48, told her ‘you are a star.’
Golden confetti: Golden confetti fell as Victory became the first contestant to ever receive a Golden Buzzer from all four judges and the host simultaneously
Simon paused before giving her his answer and then he asked Terry to come over before he said to the disappointed girl that ‘we are not going to give you a yes today.’
The crowd booed, but then Simon said, ”We are going to do something else that we never, ever done on the show before, we are all going to give you something special. Five, Four, Three, Two, One ‘ and then all the judges including Terry pressed the Golden Buzzer together.
Victory ran and hugged her mother as golden glitter fell down around them.
Tender moment: Victory ran and hugged her mother as golden glitter fell down around them
‘Victory, you are going straight to the live show,’ Terry told her.
When Simon asked Victory what she would do with the $1 million prize, she said she planned to buy Simon a rainbow shirt with glitter so that he could add some color to his wardrobe.
The show started off with Joel Claudio, 30, a Puerto Rican twirler who mesmerized the judges performing his twirling routine to Queen’s ‘Don’t Stop Me Now.’
On stage: Simon, Sofia Vergara, Terry Crews, Heidi Klum and Howie Mandel joined Victory on stage as her mother hugged her
First up: The show started off with Joel Claudio, 30, a Puerto Rican twirler who mesmerized the judges performing his twirling routine to Queen’s ‘Don’t Stop Me Now’
Sofia screamed ‘amazing’ when he was done.
Simon said he loved his positive personality and that he just knew he was a great person, while Howie said he was a ‘one man parade.’
All four voted him on.
Next, a singer named Madilyn Bailey entertained the judges with her original song made from her hate comments she received on her Youtube videos and used them to make a catchy song.
Original song: Madilyn Bailey entertained the judges with her original song made from her hate comments
‘Why do you make every song bad, your voice is very, very bad,’ were some of her catchy lyrics. ‘She’s so overrated, am I the only one who really hates her?’
Heidi said her performance was ‘so-so”, but Simon told her she had a great talent.
Madilyn’s original song got her four yeses.
The judges were blown away by the Chapkidz Dance Fam, a group of dancers aged 12 to 18, who said they would use the prize money if they won to take a trip to Universal Studios.
Talented team: The judges were blown away by the Chapkidz Dance Fam, a group of dancers aged 12 to 18
For the dance, the group of around 30 performances moved completely in sync to the music.
Howie told them it was a sleek professional performance, while Simon said they were one of the best dance acts.
The judges gave them four yeses and voted them on.
There were a variety of acts that stunned the judges from Slinky Josh, who performed with slinky toys, to a dance duo with one of the dancers aged 96.
Dynamic duo: The dance duo of Roy and Judith, age 96, impressed the judges
Then a man named Donovan, who said his dream was to be a Broadway performer, shocked the judges with his high pitched voice.
‘Well, well, well, we were not expecting that,’ said Simon. Heidi called his voice ‘very unusual.’ Simon told him he had ‘an amazing voice’ and the judges all voted him on.
One contestant named Alex Ostrovskyi performed an act with flying little trumpets, however, his music failed to win over the judges and he got two X’s.
Flying trumpets: One contestant named Alex Ostrovskyi performed an act with flying little trumpets, however, his music failed to win over the judges and he got two X’s
Simon, though, gave him a standing ovation and thought it was ‘unbelievable’ that he got two X’s.
Cam Bertrand, 27, a stand up comedian from Tampa, Florida, came out and lightened the mood with an act about turning 27 trying to buy wine. In no time, he had Simon, Sofia, and Heidi laughing.
The judges voted him on.
Funny guy: Cam Bertrand, 27, a stand up comedian from Tampa, Florida, came out and lightened the mood
Cam’s act was followed by a 13-year-old dancer named Breez Lily.
Breez said she has been dancing since was five. She cried when she said she was adopted and that she was very shy.
Her parents watched on stage and Breez danced to Kelly Clarkson’s ‘Piece by Piece.’
Sofia told her she looked beautiful and looked like she was floating, while Heidi told her that ‘you are really, really special.’
High praise: Sofia told the young dancer that she looked beautiful and looked like she was floating
One act called GiGi Deluxe featured a professional archer mother shooting balloons out of her daughter’s mouth with a bow and arrow.
The scary act had arrows coming within inches of her daughter.
All the judges except for Howie voted them on.
‘I was trying to save the child,’ said Howie.
Next time: MJ failed to advance after the judges had a hard time hearing him
A group of Mexican male dancers called Guapacharros dressed in charro outfits started out with a traditional dance but then ripped off their jackets to reveal their chiseled bodies turning the act into a Magic Mike-like show.
They said they wanted to go on to bring their show to Las Vegas and all the judges voted them on.
America’s Got Talent will return next week on NBC.
Charros group: A group of Mexican male dancers called Guapacharros dressed in charro outfits
Shirts off: The group then ripped off their jackets to reveal their chiseled bodies turning the act into a Magic Mike-like show