MemorableBritain’s Got Talent semi-finalist Emma Jones has died aged 32.
Jones, who appeared on the ITV talent show in 2015, overcame her nerves to impress judges Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden, Alesha Dixon and David Walliams, with her performance of Andrea Bocelli’s “Ave Maria”.
As BGT crowned its latest winner, Jones’s death, which occurred on 14 February, was announced on her Facebook page.
The message read: “I’m sorry to have to tell you that Emma Jones has died. She died on Valentines Day after being diagnosed with multiple organ cancer. The doctor thinks it began as ovarian cancer and spread to other organs.”
After Jones’s initial audition on BGT, Holden commended her rendition of “Ave Maria”, for which she received a standing ovation, calling it “one of the most beautiful auditions”. Walliams said of her talents: “You should be confident Emma very few of us could ever sing like that.”
Jones, who was from Cumbria, called it “the best day in my whole, entire life”.
Cowell hailed Jones’s semi-final performance of Sarah Brightman’s “Pie Jesu” as “fantastic”, while Dixon told the aspiring singer: “It’s so lovely to see you coming out of your shell,”
Jones’s many fans, who have followed her story since 2015, paid tribute to her underneath the post.
“RIP Emma. Your audition remains one of my all-time favourite auditions of all time. It was a privilege to have heard you sing,” one follower wrote, while one American fan added: “I remember her performance of Ave Maria. I am saddened to hear of her cancer. We loved her in America as well.”
Jones’s ex-partner John Hastings also paid tribute, telling the News and Star he would miss her “personality, smile and gorgeous voice”.
The Mirror reports that Hastings delivered a eulogy at Jones’s funeral, which took place last month, in which he recalled “her exploits on Britain’s Got Talent, when she overcame her nerves to wow the judges and viewers”.
He said, according to the outlet: “The applause made her cry, but I knew these were good tears. It’s a great shame that we will never see her again, but we still have her performances online to cherish and fondly remember her by.”
