Tina VanderWaal, mother of America’s Got Talent winner Grace VanderWaal, has died of cancer at 53.
Grace VanderWaal, who won the talent show’s 11th season in 2016, announced the death of her mom, Tina, in a post made to social media on Tuesday (October 21).
“Can’t yet find the words. I love you mommy. So much. I wake up and want to call you. I don’t know how to move forward without you. I love you,” Grace captioned a series of photos of her and her mom.
Tina’s husband of 27 years, Dave, also shared news of her death in an emotional tribute posted to Facebook. He revealed in the post that Tina had been battling cancer for 17 months.
“It’s hard to find the words to adequately express our family sorrow, but I want to share the sad news that our beloved Tina VanderWaal —“Superwife” and Mother “extraordinaire” — passed over to the Lord’s hands last night, October 20,” Dave wrote. “She was a fighter to the end of her long, 17-month battle with cancer, always finding a positive outlook no matter what — for herself and, even more importantly, for others facing the same difficult journey.”
Dave remembered his wife as “the heart of our family” who made “every holiday and family moment special.”
“While our hearts ache, I take comfort in knowing that Tina is now in Heaven — her bright, shining light still guiding us. I know we’ll see her again one day. Until then, we’ll hold tight to the love, joy, and beauty she gave us. She was a laser beam of light to all who knew her.”
Grace VanderWaal was only 12 when she won America’s Got Talent.
Grace VanderWaal wasn’t even a teen yet when she wowed America with her original song “You Don’t Know My Name.” AGT judge Simon Cowell credited Grace for making the show “cool,” and said that her audition was a “monster” because of the impact of her original song.
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“She didn’t sing a cover, she did sing her own song. And you know, she’s a great songwriter, a brilliant songwriter. I would say this is the moment when AGT became cool, because she was so cool,” Cowell said.
Tina VanderWaal was beside her daughter throughout every step of her AGT journey, from the moment Howie Mandell gave her a Golden Buzzer to her crowning moment.
See Grace VanderWaal and her family at her memorable America’s Got Talent audition in the video below.
