As reported by Variety, Neal Boyd, the opera singer who came in first place on season three of America's Got Talent, has died in Sikeston, Miss. today, at the age of 42.
His cause of death was revealed to be heart failure, kidney failure, as well as liver disease.
Boyd ascended to fame after his successful run on America's Got Talent. His backstory was appropriately bittersweet; as a young man who grew up in poverty, an insurance salesman turned opera singer followed his dream with the support of his family behind him.
"I didn’t realize we were poor until my mama told me I was, but we got through,” Boyd had said during the show. "It was my mom who really kept the family together… If it wasn’t for my mom, I wouldn’t have had the confidence to sing for the first time in first grade."
After wowing David Hasselhoff, Piers Morgan, and Sharon Osbourne, who were judging the show at the time, Boyd went on to win the program's $1 million grand prize. He then went on to release an album, My American Dream, in 2009, and performed at the Republican National Convention in 2012.
Not only was he an opera singer, but he ran for a seat in government in his home in Southeastern Missouri. However, he didn't manage to get elected either in 2012 or 2014 when he ran.
Despite his fame, he always maintained his connection to Missouri, to the point where he was nicknamed "The Voice of Missouri," due to his presence in the state.