America’s Got Talent star Emily Gold has died aged 17 weeks after reaching the quarterfinals.
Gold auditioned for the reality show in May with her dance troupe Los Osos High School and progressed through to the next stage of the competition.
Last month, the group performed multiple routines during the NBC programme’s quarterfinals and received a standing ovation from Simon Cowell.
Gold was found dead under a bridge on the eastbound 210 Highway in Rancho Cucamonga just before midnight on Friday, the Daily Mail reports.
The San Bernardino Coroner’s Office is treating her death as a suspected suicide, according to its death register.
In a statement to People, California Highway Patrol Public Information Officer Rodrigo Jimenez said that ‘officers from the California Highway Patrol Rancho Cucamonga area responded to a pedestrian down in lanes.
‘When the officers arrived, they located a female, 17 year old, who was struck by at least one other vehicle in the carpool lane on eastbound 210.
‘The female did succumb to her injuries and was pronounced deceased at the scene.’
A GoFundMe page has since been launched to support Gold’s family and pay for any expenses. It has raised $25,952 (£19,636) of its $50,000 (£37,831) target at the time of writing.
Gold’s loved ones have paid tribute to her on social media, among them her friend Mia Bustamante who described her as ‘such a light in my life’ on Instagram.
Mia wrote: ‘My beautiful Goldie, words cannot describe how much I love you. Thinking of being without you breaks my heart. You will be so so missed beyond words.
‘You have a way of making everyday so much brighter and brought smiles to everyone’s faces. You are such a light in my life and will be forever. You brought me the most beautiful form of love I could ask for.
‘My best friend, my forever dance sister. I love you infinitely my Emmy.’
Before being eliminated from America’s Got Talent in August, Simon toldLos Osos High School: ‘It was absolutely brilliant.
‘What I loved about this was first of all the energy. I think what I just saw is everything a great school should be doing, which is encouraging talent and friendship.’
He added: ‘It reminded me of seeing the High School Musical movie and thinking every kid should go to a school like that.’
Speaking previously to People, Gold said of her time on the show: ‘When I’m performing, I’m really thinking about all the corrections because we get corrections up until five minutes before we go on stage.
‘So to really just think about all those so that we apply them is my biggest priority on stage.’
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Metro.co.uk has contacted America’s Got Talent, San Bernardino Coroner’s Office and the California Highway Patrol for comment.
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