, the spin-off, paid tribute to late contestant Jane "Nightbirde" Marczewski. , earning Simon Cowell's golden buzzer following her audition performance of an original song called "It's Okay." Nightbirde's story about having cancer inspired the judges and viewers at home, with the clip of her audition going viral online. The song also became successful on music streaming services. However, Nightbirde had to drop out of the competition, due to her illness, just ahead of the live shows. She appeared virtually in a segment during one of the results episodes, in which Simon was very emotional.
On February 19, 2022, Nightbirde lost her battle and died of cancer at age 31. She had been a breast cancer survivor since 2017, but it returned in a metastatic state. As of recently, the cancer spread to her lungs, spine and liver. of Nightbirde's death, as were all of the season 16 judges. Howie Mandel, Heidi Klum, Sofia Vergara and Simon all posted tributes on social media, as did host Terry Crews. Many of Nightbirde's fellow contestants also shared mournful posts. Since her passing, fans have flooded her account pages and the comments section of her performance on YouTube.
According to America'smade its own tribute to Nightbirde. While the show hasn't returned yet for season 17, the new spinoff show, , recently began airing. At the end of the second episode of the series, which featured more auditions from extreme acts, a picture of Nightbirde appeared on-screen along with a title card that read, "" by her parents, Mitchell and Sharon Marczewski, and siblings Mitchell Jr., Andrew and Katelyn Marczewski. A celebration of life service will be held in Ohio on March 4.
Ahead of Nightbirde's service, her family has asked for donations to be made to The Nightbirde Foundation. Her brother Mitchell explained what this foundation will do. He said on , "" Mitchell went on to reflect on Nightbirde's positive attitude, including a "" and a "."
Nightbirde's death is . Her strength and resilience given her circumstances was one of the most talked about moments of season 16. Fans were already devastated when she had to leave the show, with some wondering if she could have gone on to win the competition. She shared so much hope despite her battle, with fans praying that she could go on to beat cancer. Nightbirde's legacy will definitely live on, despite this tragedy. Not only has she been seen by millions on TV and online, but she also gained new fans of her music. They will continue listening to her songs, which live on forever. fans .
