America's Got Talent
Friends and family members are heartbroken over the loss of America’s Got Talent contestant Dr. Brandon Rogers.
WHO learned on Tuesday that Brandon — he was set to appear on an upcoming episode of the NBC talent competition in July, a source told WHO — was involved in a car accident over the weekend in Maryland and passed away. He was 29.
Many of those who were close to Brandon took to social media to express their condolences over his passing and pay tribute to their friend and loved one.
“I didn’t know what else to do, so I’m putting this out there. I want to thank everybody for your kind words and the phone calls and the messages,” Brandon’s brother, Danni Rogers, said in an emotional video posted to Instagram.
“It’s a testament how many lives my brother actually touched,” he continued, fighting back tears. “It’s hard for me to talk to people on the phone right now, so I apologize. But I’m getting to reading everybody’s messages and listening to everybody’s voicemails. Me and my family, we truly appreciate it. Thank you, thank you.”
Danni captioned the video, “I can’t respond to everyone (too heartbreaking) but I did want to thank EVERYONE for their prayers and condolences. It really does mean so much to me and my family….. I lost my best friend yesterday 😔, but to see all the lives he’s touched brings joy to my heart.”
Brandon’s sister, Christian, also shared an emotional tribute in her brother’s honor on the social media app. “Words cannot express the hurt and sadness that come with losing my brother. They cannot express the joy and gratitude i feel for having gotten to know and love him. But the can express happiness for knowing that he touched many lives and inspired many,” she wrote.
“Thank you all for your prayers and condolences,” Christian continued, and added, “Cherish your loved ones and hold them close the way Brandon did. Life is short and Tomorrow is not promised.”
Numerous friends also took to their personal pages to share old photos of Brandon and kind words in remembrance of the late singer.
“Man. Taken from us way too soon. Still somewhat in disbelief but I know that God must have needed His angel in Heaven. We got close over the past couple of years and I’m soo blessed to have had the chance to know such an amazing, beautiful, talented person,” Brandon’s friend, Dani, wrote. “Your spirit and energy made people gravitate toward you and the smiles & laughs you gave will always be remembered. I wish I had the chance to say “goodbye” but it’s not goodbye, it’s see ya later. Rest peacefully @drb_rog as you continue to watch over all of us. I love you ❤️🙏🏽.”
Brandon was discovered by producers from the reality competition series when they saw him on Instagram covering Boyz II Men’s “On Bended Knee.”
In April, Brandon shared a video of himself to Instagram performing alongside the R&B group. “#tbt my start to 2017. still can’t believe this happened 😩🙌🏽 …. FOREVER grateful @boyziimen,” he captioned the post.
After learning about his passing, Boyz II Men took to their official Instagram account to express their sadness about his death.
“Today our hearts are deeply saddened to learn about the sudden death of Dr. Brandon Rogers. A few moths back we brought this young man out to the Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas to perform with us. He was great all 3 nights! Just a genuinely nice person and a really good singer! Gone too young and gone too soon,” they wrote.
“It hurts to know that the world will never have a chance to witness what his impact on the world could have been as a Doctor and even on the music world. A great spirit and a great voice,” the post continued. ” Even for the little time we knew you you will be sorely missed. May God Bless, keep and comfort your family in this difficult time.”
This article originally appeared on PEOPLE
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