‘America’s Got Talent’ Star’s Dad Died in Car Wreck, and Now He’s Honoring Him With Special Song

A contestant on America’s Got Talent Season 18 is paying special tribute to his father. During Tuesday’s latest round of auditions, Nashville-based country singer Mitch Rossell made his AGT debut with his song “Son,” an emotional ballad honoring his father, who was killed in a car accident when Rossell was just 10. His grandfather and grandmother-in-law were also killed in the crash.
 
Introducing himself during his audition, Rossell credited his father with sparking his interest in music. Rossell told viewers and the judges in a pre-recorded introduction that when he “was a kid, I would ride with him in the car, and we’d just listen to country music together. We just sang the songs together and we both loved it so much. We definitely had a connection through music and it just meant a lot to him.” However, when the musician was just 10, his father was tragically killed in what Rossell described as “a freak accident.”

The East Tennessee native went on to perform an original song, which he described as the “most personal thing I’ve ever written.” The emotional song, “Son,” speaks of the love between a father and a son with lyrics like, “Son I hope you know how much I love you/ And when you’re not with me/ I’m always thinking of you/ You’re the drive inside my heart/ The reason I reach for the stars above/ He said my world revolves around you/ That’s why I call you son.”
 
Rossell’s tear-jerking performance earned him a standing ovation not only from the in-studio audience but also from the judges, who had nothing but praise for the singer. Heidi Klum told Rossell, “You wrote a beautiful song there. I feel like everyone in this room was feeling everything that you were singing.” Howie Mandel added, “The words and the emotion that you sing with, you know, as a father also…what a great sentiment, what great beautiful words. Such simple brilliance.” Sofia Vergara chimed in, “That was spectacular, your voice was amazing, the song was amazing.” The often stoic and hard-to-impress Simon Cowell was also moved by the performance, telling Rossell he “loved every part of that.” Cowell added, “It was a compliment you could hear a pin drop during the entire performance. And it was sincere. I really really think people are going to connect with you, the song. This was a great audition. Brilliant.”
 
Rossell, who has worked with some of Nashville’s biggest artists in recent years, including Garth Brooks, earned four yesses from the judges, advancing him to the next stage of the competition. America’s Got Talent airs throughout the summer on Tuesday nights at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.