'America's Got Talent' Winner and Opera Singer Neal E. Boyd Dies at 42

Opera singer Neal E. Boyd, whowon the third season ofAmerica’s Got Talentin 2008, died Sunday at the age of 42 in Sikeston, Missouri.“Neal passed away at his mother’s house last night at about 6:26 p.m.,” Scott County Coroner Scott Amick tells PEOPLE.“Neal was on a CPAP machine and when EMS got there, they put the monitor on him and confirmed he was deceased,” the coroner continued, adding that “Neal had some medical issues.”“He had heart failure, kidney failure and some liver disease. Just a number of things were wrong with him, and ultimately that’s what led to his demise,” he explained.After winningAmerica’s Next Got Talent, Boyd joked to PEOPLE that “my voice is big, like me.”Asked what it felt like to be one million dollars richer and have a music career ahead of him, Boyd simply said, “My life will never be the same.” He went on to release his debut albumMy American Dreamin 2009.Boyd also ran for an empty seat in the Missouri House of Representatives as a Republican in 2011.The Scott County Coroner told PEOPLE that given “the history of his medical condition, there was no reason” to perform an autopsy.“Like I said, he had a number of health issues, and a lot of that would be attributed to Neil’s weight,” the coroner added.Virginia Sherwood/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank/GettyBoyd was previously badly injured aftergetting into a car crashin 2017, when he blacked out behind the wheel, according to TMZ.In an interview with the Southeast Missourian published in February, Boyd described the crash as being “a very, very, very bad wreck,” adding that he “shattered a lot of bonesand shattered my hip, which has left me almost unable to use that leg for now.”The singer added that in addition to focusing on his “slow” recovery, he was writing “uplifting” music for a new album, which was scheduled to be released in 2019.

Opera singer Neal E. Boyd, whowon the third season ofAmerica’s Got Talentin 2008, died Sunday at the age of 42 in Sikeston, Missouri.

“Neal passed away at his mother’s house last night at about 6:26 p.m.,” Scott County Coroner Scott Amick tells PEOPLE.

“Neal was on a CPAP machine and when EMS got there, they put the monitor on him and confirmed he was deceased,” the coroner continued, adding that “Neal had some medical issues.”

“He had heart failure, kidney failure and some liver disease. Just a number of things were wrong with him, and ultimately that’s what led to his demise,” he explained.

After winningAmerica’s Next Got Talent, Boyd joked to PEOPLE that “my voice is big, like me.”

Asked what it felt like to be one million dollars richer and have a music career ahead of him, Boyd simply said, “My life will never be the same.” He went on to release his debut albumMy American Dreamin 2009.

Boyd also ran for an empty seat in the Missouri House of Representatives as a Republican in 2011.

The Scott County Coroner told PEOPLE that given “the history of his medical condition, there was no reason” to perform an autopsy.

“Like I said, he had a number of health issues, and a lot of that would be attributed to Neil’s weight,” the coroner added.

Virginia Sherwood/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank/Getty

Boyd was previously badly injured aftergetting into a car crashin 2017, when he blacked out behind the wheel, according to TMZ.

In an interview with the Southeast Missourian published in February, Boyd described the crash as being “a very, very, very bad wreck,” adding that he “shattered a lot of bonesand shattered my hip, which has left me almost unable to use that leg for now.”

The singer added that in addition to focusing on his “slow” recovery, he was writing “uplifting” music for a new album, which was scheduled to be released in 2019.

source: people.com