Who Was Emily Gold? 'America's Got Talent' Contestant Dies By Suicide

A 17-year-old Emily Gold, a cheerleader from California, was found dead on September 13 in what authorities are treating as a suicide. Her body was discovered under an overpass in Rancho Cucamonga, according to The Daily Mail. The California Highway Patrol reported that the body had been run over multiple times, with one vehicle failing to stop.

17-Year-Old Cheerleader From 'America's Got Talent' Found Dead In Apparent Suicide

Gold's death comes just months after she and her cheerleading team from Los Osos High School wowed judges of NBC's America's Got Talent. After successfully passing the auditions, the group advanced to the quarterfinals of the series before being eliminated in August.

Despite their elimination in the quarterfinals, Simon Cowell gave the team’s high-energy performance a standing ovation.  "It was absolutely brilliant. What I loved about this was first of all the energy. I think what I just saw is everything a great school should be doing, which is encouraging talent and friendship," Cowell said at the time. Cowell added, "It reminded me of seeing the High School Musical movie and thinking every kid should go to a school like that."

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Speaking to People, Emily Gold reflected on her time on stage, saying, "When I’m performing, I’m really thinking about all the corrections because we get corrections up until five minutes before we go on stage. So to really just think about all those so that we apply them is my biggest priority on stage." When asked how she managed to balance high school and performing on AGT, she said, "It’s definitely tough to balance it all, but we make it happen."

Gold's brother, Alex, expressed his grief in a heartfelt Instagram post, writing, "The times we spent together won’t ever be enough. Half my heart is gone without you... Rest in heaven, Emily Gold, because it will always be your world."

In response to the tragedy, friends, community members, and fans have rallied in support of Gold's family, raising more than $26,000 through a GoFundMe page organised by Jeanette Fierro. "As a community, let’s come together and support the Gold family during this difficult time. This money will go directly to the family to assist with expenses," Fierro wrote on the page.