America’s Got Talent Contestants Who Died Too Soon

#1 Ryan Stock

It’s time to deviate from the topic for a bit. Things nearly turned deadly on June 16 as a stunt went wrong for a couple on live television.

The Canadian stunt man was ready to wow audiences as he waited for his fiancée, Amber Lynn Walker, to perfectly aim a fiery arrow at a target placed in his mouth.

In a live television mishap, Walker missed and viewers and the show's judges — Simon Cowell, Heidi Klum, Mel B and Howie Mandel — horrifically watched as Stock was hit in the neck.

The show continued to air as the shocked judges looked on and host Nick Cannon made sure Stock was OK.

"I'm OK, I'm OK," Stock stressed despite visible shock and pain.

Mandel urged him to see EMTs and Canon later assured viewers again that Stock was doing well and was not punctured by the arrow.

The stock soon tweeted about the near-death experience and admitted he was "very fortunate to walk away from it."

"We had a serious mishap tonight," he wrote. "A very unfortunate mechanical failure."

#2 Frank Simon

You may not have remembered a man named Frank Simon because he was eliminated by the judges in the audition round in 2006. But he passed away in 2013 from unknown causes.

Simon was from Budapest, Hungary. He has balanced a wide range of objects on his face, such as a dishwasher, refrigerator, and a Blackberry on a pencil.

In Episode 102 of Season 1, Simon’s audition consisted of balancing a motorbike and a stove on his chin. The audience loved his act, but Piers Morgan, Brandy Norwood, and David Hasselhoff all buzzed him and voted “no” which sent him packing. Morgan stated toward the end of his audition that “this is a talent show, not a freak show.” The comment was followed by loud boos from the crowd.

Although it’s unknown as to how Simon died, death is really not funny, and hopefully, he was the happiest he has ever been.

#3 Mr. Bill

Mr. Bill, real name Bill Ratner, was a professional school bus driver from Las Vegas, Nevada. His dream was to become a professional performer. His boss convinced him to audition for America's Got Talent.

Mr. Bill's audition in Episode 201 consisted of singing "Climb Ev'ry Mountain". Piers Morgan buzzed the act. Although Sharon Osbourne voted "Yes", Piers and David Hasselhoff both voted "No", eliminating Mr. Bill from the competition.

Mr. Bill passed away on July 30, 2012, after a battle with leukemia.

#4 Alaska

Alaska, real name Simeon P. Mountain Jr., was a freestyle dancer act from Season 6 of America's Got Talent. He was eliminated in the audition round.

Alaska's audition in Episode 605 consisted of freestyle dancing. Piers Morgan buzzed the act. Piers, Sharon Osbourne, and Howie Mandel all voted "No," eliminating Alaska from the competition. After the audition, Nick Cannon joined Alaska on stage for more dancing.

Alaska died of unknown causes on October 13, 2015. The idiopathic term “unknown causes” is extremely vague, but the announcement of death is sad nevertheless. He is definitely dead, but his spirit lives on. He may not be a talented man in your eyes, but you have to admit that his dancing was fairly comical. That’s what makes the show exciting and fun to watch.

#5 Johnny Holiday

Johnny Holiday was an act from Season 2 of America's Got Talent. He was eliminated in the audition round.

Johnny Holiday was also an actor, having appeared in minor roles on TV shows such as Charmed and Life with Bonnie.

It is unknown exactly what Johnny Holiday's audition in Episode 204 consisted of. However, since he was shown asking Jerry Springer to hand him weights, it was likely that his act contained some weight lifting. Either way, David Hasselhoff, Sharon Osbourne, and Piers Morgan all buzzed the act. At least two judges voted "No," eliminating Johnny from the competition.

Holiday died at the age of 96 on February 28, 2009. He was an elderly man, and it’s clear that he died of natural causes. He wasn’t a household name, but he’s certainly someone to remember when you take a trip down memory lane.

#6 Debra Winer

Debra Winer was born in Fairfield, Connecticut, and later lived in White Plains, New York. Debra Winer's audition in Episode 304 consisted of singing "Dancing in the Street." Piers Morgan, Sharon Osbourne, and David Hasselhoff all buzzed the act. Debra wouldn't stop singing even after she was buzzed out, so David had to escort her off the stage. She was eliminated from the competition.

Winer passed away on April 7, 2013. Although it’s unclear what caused her death and where she lived at the time of her death, her passing is an unfortunate loss for her family and friends. She will be missed and remembered as a wonderful woman.

#7 Franklin Ruehl, Ph.D.

Franklin Ruehl, Ph.D. was a novelty act from Season 4 of America's Got Talent. He was eliminated in the audition round.

Franklin Ruehl holds a Ph.D. in Physics from UCLA. His cable TV show, Mysteries From Beyond the Other Dominion, was 1 of the 4 original series to premiere on the Sci-Fi Channel when it was launched. It focuses on the scientific evidence for UFOs and ETs, paranormal phenomena, cryptozoological entities, weird crime, bizarre medicine, strange people, and anything else of an unusual and fascinating nature.

Franklin has been a regular on "A Current Affair"(2005), "9 On The Town"(with a UFO segment), "Strange Universe," "Weird TV," and "Ancient Aliens"(on the History Channel). He co-hosts a radio program on Blog Talk Radio, "hyper-galactic Enigmas."

Franklin Ruehl, Ph.D.'s audition in Episode 410 consisted of sticking 10 straws into one potato, shouting a "magic" word each time. Piers Morgan, Sharon Osbourne, and David Hasselhoff all buzzed the act. All three judges voted "No", eliminating Franklin from the competition.

Ruehl passed away in 2015.

#8 Power Lifting Granny

Power Lifting Granny was a power lifter act from Season 10 of America's Got Talent. She was eliminated in the audition round.

Sandra Foli is the Power Lifting Granny, a woman from Bloomington, Illinois. In 2013, she set a powerlifting record in her age group. Foli completed a clean dead lift of 181.5 pounds at a recent competition. "She went out there and put up a pretty serious weight for a woman of her age," Foli's trainer, Chad Hobbs, said. "It's an inspiration to a lot of people, where so many people become sedentary later on in life, she's doing something about it."

Even more amazing, Foli only picked up the sport just five years prior in 2008, after suffering from septic shock. "I said I just need to get fit after my illness," Foli said. "It was touch and go for awhile, but I fought it and I recovered." The grandmother says she's going to continue training and hopes to break her own record. "I see people one or two years older than me in a wheelchair, and I don't ever want to be there," Foli says.

Power Lifting Granny's audition in Episode 1005 consisted of power lifting 185 pounds. Mel B and at least one other judge voted "No," eliminating the act from the competition. Foli died from old age on November 5, 2015.

#9 Bernie Barker

Bernie Barker was a stripper act from Season 1 of America's Got Talent. He was eliminated without performing in the Semifinals.

Bernie Barker, who was from Las Vegas, Nevada, was a nuclear engineer whose field was radiation protection. He had been the self-proclaimed oldest male stripper.

Bernie Baker's audition in Episode 101 consisted of stripping to "She Bangs." Piers Morgan, Brandy Norwood, and David Hasselhoff (Piers and Brandy buzzed for him) all buzzed the act. Although Piers voted "No," Brandy and David both voted "Yes," sending Bernie to the Semifinals.

Bernie Barker was one of five acts eliminated by the judges from the competition in Week 1 of the Semifinals without performing in Episode 104.Bernie Barker passed away on March 21, 2007, after a brief battle with prostate cancer. He was 66.

#10 Ray Jessel

Ray Jessel was a comedy singer and pianist act who auditioned in Season 9 of America’s Got Talent.

Jessel was born in Cardiff, Wales, the United Kingdom in 1929. He earned a degree in music at the University of Wales. He also won a scholarship to study composition for a year in Paris as a graduate student with Swiss composer Arthur Honegger.

He emigrated to Canada, where he began his career as a composer for CBC. He collaborated with pianist and composer Marian Grudeff for his first piece for the musical theater in the Canadian satirical revue Spring Thaw. Broadway producer Alexander H. Cohen then hired them to write songs for his Sherlock Holmes musical, Baker Street. He did two stints on Broadway.

Jessel made his debut at age 72 as a Cabaret performer at Hollywood’s Gardenia room in 2002. He was a featured star in the Mabel Mercer Foundation’s Cabaret Convention in Palm Springs, California as well as New York’s Town Hall.

In Episode 906, Jessel’s audition consisted of playing the piano and singing his original comedy song titled “What She’s Got – The P*nis Song.” He advanced to Judgment Week, but didn’t make it to the Quarterfinals.

Jessel passed away on July 17, 2015 at the age of 85.

#11 Kacey Jones

Kacey Jones was a comedy singer/guitarist act from Season 10 of America's Got Talent. She was eliminated in the Judge Cuts.

Audiences have been laughing with Kacey Jones for decades and laughing right along with them are People Magazine, USA Today, GAC & CMT Television, and Garrison Keillor and "A Prairie Home Companion." “Donald Trump’s Hair,” is the hilarious follow-up to her previous album, “Nipples to the Wind" and contains fifteen tracks including "Christmas in Rehab," "I Can Always Get Skinny But You'll Never Be Tall," and "Whatever Happened to Kenny Rogers Face."

"I'm a singer-songwriter-musician first," says Jones, “I enjoy making people laugh in the tradition of musical humorists such as Tom Lehrer, Mae West, Roger Miller, Kinky Friedman, Dan Hicks, Jerry Reed, and Sophie Tucker.” I also enjoy a good ballad…that's why I recorded a tribute to Mickey Newbury.”

If it all seems off the wall, it's totally sane in the world of Kacey Jones. Hers was, after all, themind that conceived one of Nashville's most unique and revered cult acts, the all-girl group, "Ethel and The Shameless Hussies," who broke above the waves in the late 80's to mainstream nominations as "Comedy Act of the Year" on MCA Records. As lead singer and lead comedy writer, Kacey put the Shameless Hussies on America's national radar.

In 1997 Kacey signed with Curb Records and recorded one of the few original music-with-comedy-albums ever released by a female artist in Nashville. "Men Are Some of My Favorite People," considered a classic by collectors, yielded two music videos, "1-900-Bubba" and "I Hate Your Lousy, Rotten, Stinkin' Guts But, I'm Not Bitter.

Further proving that her talents could produce more than just a few good laughs, Kacey entered the studio with legendary cult artist, Kinky Friedman, only to emerge as the producer of his critically acclaimed project, "Pearls in the Snow." Featuring Willie Nelson, Dwight Yoakam, Tom Waits, Lyle Lovett, Delbert McClinton and others, the album reached the # 1 spot on the Americana radio chart in 1999. In 2000 Kacey and Delbert McClinton recorded the duet, "You're The Reason Our Kids are Ugly." The single and video stayed atop the European country chart (#1) for nine weeks.

Movies were next to fall under her spell. Kacey contributed three original songs to the soundtrack of the multi-award winning cult film and TV series, "Sordid Lives" starring Beau Bridges, Olivia Newton-John, Delta Burke, Beth Grant, Bonnie Bedelia, and Leslie Jordan. She also wrote the music for the hilarious stage play, "Nipples to the Wind" and toured with the company nationally in 2007.

Kacey is the “Official Songstress of The Sweet Potato Queens” an organization with 75,000 members worldwide, born out of a half dozen best-selling Sweet Potato Queen books by Mississippi author, Jill Conner Browne.

Kacey Jones' audition was never televised. It is unknown whether or not she was buzzed, but at least three judges voted "Yes," sending Kacey to the Judge Cuts round.

Kacey Jones' Judge Cuts performance in Episode 1011 consisted of singing an original comedic song titled "Every Man I Love Is Either Married, Gay, Or Dead" while playing the guitar. Kacey's performance was not strong enough for the judges to send her to the Quarterfinals, eliminating her from the competition along with Aaron Smyth and Leroy Patterson.

Jones died from cancer on September 1, 2016. She was 66.

#12 Mighty Atom Jr.

Mighty Atom Jr. was a strongman act from Season 9 of America's Got Talent. He was eliminated during Judgment Week.

Mighty Atom Jr., whose real name is Mike Greenstein, was from Galveston, Texas. He held the world record for lifting weights with his teeth.

Mighty Atom Jr.'s audition in Episode 901 consisted of pulling a 3000-pound station wagon with three people in it (his "lady friend," brother, and brother's wife) with his teeth clenched on a leather bite pad. Although Howard Stern voted "No," claiming Mighty Atom Jr. lacked showmanship, Heidi Klum, Mel B, and Howie Mandel all voted "Yes," sending the act to Judgment Week.

Mighty Atom Jr. was sorted into the "Variety Acts" category in Judgment Week. His performance in Episode 907 consisted of pulling a 5000-pound truck with six people on and in it (the four judges, Nick Cannon, and his younger brother) with his teeth. Mighty Atom Jr.'s performance was not strong enough for the judges to send him to the Quarterfinals, eliminating him from the competition in Episode 908.

Mike Greenstein, Mighty Atom Jr. passed away while visiting family in Florida on February 16, 2016. He was 95 years old.

#13 The Kinetic King

The Kinetic King was a builder of chain reaction gadgets from Season 6 of America's Got Talent. He was eliminated in the Quarterfinals, but he returned for the Wild Card Show. He has later eliminated again in the Semifinals.

Tim Fort, known on the Internet as the Kinetic King, is the creator of unique, chain-reaction gadgets using techniques seen nowhere else. Born in Saint Paul in 1964, Tim never quite grew out of the playing-with-blocks stage of his childhood. He often drove his parents crazy with his stick bombs, domino chains, playing-card pyramids and many other devices. After taking up space in college for four years, he got a degree in rocket science, got married and entered the workforce.

At the age of 35, he decided that he was bored with conventional employment and decided to become an artist instead. Recalling the gadgets and gizmos of his youth, he decided to create one-of-a-kind chain-reaction gadgets that go way beyond domino tumbling. Since then, he has invented different chain-reaction techniques like the herringbone, the string-a-ling, multi-celled stick bombs and the clever-lever, among many others.

The Kinetic King's audition in Episode 604 consisted of demonstrating his "stick-bombs" gadget. Piers Morgan, Sharon Osbourne, and Howie Mandel all voted "Yes," sending him to the Vegas Round.

The Kinetic King was one of the Judges' Favorites in the Vegas Round. He was sorted into the "Novelty Acts" category. His performance consisted of demonstrating his "clever-lever" gadget. His audition was strong enough for the judges to send him to the Quarterfinals along with Those Funny Little People.

The Kinetic King always had to perform first in the live shows due to the long setup it takes to make each chain reaction.The Kinetic King (Tim Fort) passed away on March 15, 2016, after suffering a series of strokes. He was 51.

#14 Dr. Brandon Rogers

Dr. Brandon Rogers was a singer who auditioned for Season 12 of America’s Got Talent.

Dr. Rogers decided to pursue medicine at age six after coming home from school one day, only to find his mother laying in a pool of blood. She was rushed to a hospital, where doctors managed to save her life. From there, he wanted to pursue a career in medicine. He was a graduate of the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine.

Dr. Rogers sang to cope with the stresses of being a doctor. He decided to audition for America’s Got Talent after the show’s producers found a video of him covering “On Bended Knees” by Boyz II Men. His buzz led to a performance with Boyz II Men from January 20 to 22.

In Episode 1206, Dr. Rogers sang “Ribbon In The Sky” by Stevie Wonder. He wowed the judges and audience with his career, voice, and looks. All four judges voted “yes,” and he advanced to the Judge Cuts.

Dr. Rogers embarked on a trip with two friends on June 10. The driver fell asleep, drifted onto the right shoulder, veered off the road, and struck a tree. The driver and the other friend survived, but sadly, Brandon died from his injuries the next day. He was only 29 years old. Dr. Rogers became the first contestant whose audition was televised after their death.

#15 Ed Cole

Ed Cole was a bodybuilder act from Season 6 of America's Got Talent.Ed Cole's audition in Episode 608 consisted of flexing his body. Piers Morgan buzzed the act. It is unknown whether Ed continued into the competition.Cole passed away on January 18, 2013, after a long battle with undisclosed cancer.