‘America’s Got Talent’ 12: Evie Clair’s Dad Dies Weeks Before Grand Finals

“America’s Got Talent” Season 12 contestant Evie Clair recently announced that her dad has lost his battle against stage 4 colon cancer.

On her Instagram account, the 13-year-old singer from Arizona shared a series of photos of herself with her dad just hours after his passing. Clair expressed how much she loves her dad and shared some of the things that she learned from him.

Clair’s mom penned a lengthy post on their family’s blog and revealed that they decided to take her husband off his life-sustaining machines. “We watched him take his last breaths as he continued to breathe for about 15 minutes on his own. The children burst into tears but are now at home laughing at old home movies of daddy and remembering our great love for the most wonderful man any of us have ever known,” she wrote.

The people behind “America’s Got Talent” also gave Clair and her family their condolences. The young singer performed at the Dolby Theater stage live on Tuesday night and was one of the two contestants who made it past the Dunkin Save. During her performance, an emotional Clair broke down into tears after judge Simon Cowell told her that her dad must be really proud of her.

Clair’s dad hasn’t been around to watch his daughter’s two live performances. A few weeks ago, the teenager said that he couldn’t make it to the theater because he was very sick. She also asked for prayers from her supporters. But during her audition several months back, Clair was accompanied by her mom and dad. In the footage, her dad looked much healthier.

In two weeks, Clair and nine other contestants will once again be performing live for America’s vote in the grand finals. Unfortunately, only one contestant could bring home the $1 million grand prize and perform a series of shows in Las Vegas. Four other contestants have also secured their spot in the finals, namely, Chase Goehring, Sara and Hero, Preacher Lawson and Darci Lynne Farmer.

“America’s Got Talent” Season 12 airs Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 8 p.m. EDT on NBC.