Jay Jay Phillips, a heavy metal musician who appeared on two seasons of America’s Got Talent, has died after battling COVID-19. He was 30 years old.
Phillips’ band confirmed the news this week on Instagram.
“It is with great sadness we inform you all of the loss of our bandmate/brother/and friend @jayjayrocks,” a statement on Mettal Maffia’s official Instagram account read. “It still doesn’t feel real and we would give anything to change it. Please respect the family, as well as our wishes as we take our time to grieve and process this detrimental loss.”
According to The Wrap, Phillips battled the coronavirus over Thanksgiving, and was later found unresponsive by his girlfriend. The musician was allegedly unvaccinated.
“He was battling covid like so many quietly at home the only difference was his soul was larger than most and so we all knew he was struggling,” Seph Lawless, a close friend of Phillips wrote in an email to the outlet.
Phillips appeared twice on America’s Got Talent. The first time was on Season 4, where he was eliminated early on. Phillips returned for Season 12 in 2017, where he made it to the quarterfinals.
The news arrives just a week after another Americas Got Talent contestant, Thomas Wells, died following a freak accident at a tire factory. His wife, Jessica Wells, told TMZ that Thomas got caught in an automatic conveyor belt while working at the manufacturing plant in Oklahoma.
After attending Tulsa Welding Schoool, Wells took his talents to a variety of singing competition shows, including X-Factor, America’s Got Talent, The Voice, and The Winner Is.
“Thomas had an amazing voice and loved singing hymns as well as contemporary music,” his obituary reads. “He loved to make people laugh. He always had a smile and loved to joke and give people a hard time. He was a great entertainer and always became the center of attention.”
