Simon was close with Nightbirde after she competed on , even awarding her his golden buzzer that put her straight through to the semi-final. On Tuesday, the 62-year-old paid tribute to both acts on his Instagram feed in separate posts. In his post for Jamal, he shared a photo of the late star and wrote: " I had the pleasure of meeting Jamal. He was an extraordinarily talented young man, so ambitious, a real entrepreneur and had a natural gift for talent.

"I was so very sorry to hear about his passing.

And paying tribute to Nightbirde, he penned: " 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 courage was incredible and her determination to fight this terrible illness was remarkable. Rest in peace, Jane. I am sending my love to her family. Simon."

His 1.7 million followers were quick to offer their condolences as well, with many sharing heartbroken and crying face emojis.

" May his soul rest in eternal peace," one said about Jamal, while another added: " It's just shocking and so sad. I'm just glad he made his mark with music. That will live on forever! RIP Jamal."

One follower said Simon had a big impact on Nightbirde, as they said: " So true... but at least the golden buzzer made her life," and a second commented: "Rest in peace, sorry to hear that."

Nightbirde – real name Jane Marczewski – passed away on Sunday, following her brave battle with cancer.

Jamal passed away on the same day after a "sudden illness", and his mum, star , shared a heartbreaking message with .

The heartbreaking statement read: "It is with the deepest heartache that I confirm that my beautiful son Jamal Edwards passed away yesterday morning after a sudden illness.

"Myself, his sister Tanish and the rest of his family and friends are completely devastated. He was the centre of our world."