Former America’s Got Talent (AGT) star Jay Jay Phillips has passed away at age 30 due to COVID-19.
Jay Jay’s death was announced by his bandmates through his band Mettal Maffia’s Instagram handle.
“It is with great sadness we inform you all of the loss of our bandmate/brother/and friend @jayjayrocks. It still doesn’t feel real and we would give anything to change it,” the band members wrote in the heartbreaking post.
Who is Jay Jay Phillips?
Jay Jay is a former AGT star who appeared on the show’s fourth season back in 2009.
The musician was eliminated then but returned for Season 12 in 2017. However, luck wasn’t in his favour this time either and he was sent home before the quarterfinals.
Despite being eliminated from AGT twice, Jay Jay managed to make a lasting impression on fans thanks to his larger than life hair and rock star fashion sense.
He also had some serious heavy metal electric keyboard skills that made him a fan-favourite on the show.
Jay Jay went on to start his own metal band called Mettal Maffia, which is based in Ohio. So far, the band has released five albums as a hybrid metal group.
The up and coming music group has over 22,000 YouTube subscribers and over 2,000 Instagram followers.
Former AGT contestant dies of COVID-19
As reported by TMZ, one of Jay Jay’s family members has revealed that the star was battling COVID-19. The infection took a turn for the worse towards the holiday weekend.
TMZ has further state that Jay Jay’s mom and girlfriend found him dead on Thanksgiving day. The musician’s father, who he reportedly lived with, is currently hospitalized and is fighting for his life on a ventilator.
A look at the star’s Instagram
Approximately a month before his passing, Jay Jay posted a snap with his Mettal Maffia bandmates on his Instagram, where he has close to 3,000 followers.
He wrote in the caption, “My band METTAL MAFFIA is making huge moves and anyone that’s a fan of me IT’S A MUST you check us out, I’m 50 million more times excited about this than the whole AGT thing.”
Jay Jay often posted pictures with his bandmates and from the shows they performed.