‘Americas Got Talent’ contestant Jane Marczewski dies of cancer at 31: ‘Strength she found in Jesus’
After an intense battle with cancer, “America’s Got Talent” contestant Jane Marczewski died at age 31. Her family says her strength came from Jesus.
Marczewski won the hearts of Americans with her golden buzzer-worthy performance on “America’s Got Talent” last summer. The Ohio native performed an original song titled “It’s OK” for judges Simon Cowell, Sofia Vergara, Heidi Klum and Howie Mandel.
Marczewski revealed that her stage name was “Nightbirde” and described her song as “a story of the last year of my life.”
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Before the performance, Marczewski revealed she had cancer in her lungs, spine and liver. However, she remained hopeful despite being diagnosed in 2017 and showing little progress.
Marczewski’s family announced her passing on Instagram.
“Those who knew her enjoyed her larger-than-life personality and sense of humor. She had a witty joke for every occasion — even if the joke was on her. Her lasting legacy will be the gift of hope she gave to so many through her music and the strength she found in Jesus,” the grieving family wrote in a post that also shared a video of Marczewski.
In a 2021 interview that can be heard on Spotify, the Liberty University alumna shared where her hope came from.
“I believe that God can heal in one instant. I also believe that ‘no good thing does He withhold,’ so there was something God was growing in the field that is me, and if God had pulled up all of this hardship too soon, it would have also pulled up all these miracles he did in my spirit,” she said.
Marczewski’s life was filled with hardships. Days after learning of her cancer diagnosis, her husband, who the singer once described as “My One Great Love,” left her.
Her song, “It’s OK” was her response to it all.
After performing the song on “America’s Got Talent,” Marczewski maintained: “It’s important that everyone knows I’m so much more than the bad things that happened to me.”
She also revealed she had been given only a 2% chance of beating cancer.
“But 2% is not 0%,” she commented at the time. “Two percent is something, and I wish people knew how amazing it is.”
Marczewski often talked about her suffering and her journey with God.
In a blog post of hers titled, “God Is On the Bathroom Floor,” she spoke honestly about wrestling with God through her trials.
Her performance on the NBC series has amassed millions of views to date. In August 2021, she stepped down from “America’s Got Talent” because her health took a turn for the worst.
Marczewski kept her supporters updated on social media. In January of 2022, she admitted that things “were pretty brutal.”
