The judges on America's Got Talent witnessed one of the most moving performances they've ever seen in July 2021. It came from 51-year-old Matt Mauser, who tragically lost his wife, Christina, in the same helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant.
The judges were floored as Matt told them the story. He spoke lovingly about his wife and said that she had always wanted him to pursue his passion: music.
Before her untimely death, the two had planned on taking the next steps that would let him finally pursue his music career. But then a twist of fate left him as a single dad to his three kids, Penny, Thomas, and Ivy.
Now he's hoping that with the help of the show, he can still live out his dreams in spite of the horrific tragedy his family is still healing from.
He explained to the judges why he wanted to come on the show. "I'm here because my wife and I, we were both schoolteachers, and we retired from teaching so that I could do the music full-time, and she got the opportunity to coach girls basketball with Kobe Bryant," he said. "But on January 26, 2020, I lost my wife in the same helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant."
In a preshow interview, Matt told host Terry Crews about the first time he met his wife. They started talking after she saw him perform in a dive bar. He said they sat in the car and talked about music. "She was just this very humble, powerful, beautiful human being," he said, sweetly.
He even opened up about the last time he saw his wife. "When she left that day, she kissed me and she said, 'I love you.' And that was the last thing my wife ever said to me. Your whole life changes in a second."
Matt said that as soon as his wife died, he became solely focused on the well-being of his kids. "You start to say, 'All right she would want me to carry on.' She would want our kids to have happy lives, which I don't know if it's possible but I'm going to try."
At this point, it seems that's exactly what Matt is doing. Even just appearing on the show would be a huge positive step. But Matt did a little more than that. He totally wowed the judges with his rendition of Phil Collins' "Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)."
His performance was beautiful and emotional. While he seemed totally collected during it, he told People that he struggled to keep him emotions in check enough to deliver a solid performance. "The audition process was extremely challenging because I had to not only master the phrasing of the song but I also had to conquer my emotions while singing it."
He continued, "On top of that, having to do it in front of millions of people made it nerve-racking as well. Christina was on my mind and I definitely felt her presence during the whole process."
There's no doubt that she would be incredibly proud.
Matt unsurprisingly earned yes votes from all four judges. Howie told him, pointing to Matt's three kids, "Your wife is always here, that is her legacy.
"You are her legacy. This moment is her legacy."
