America’s Got Talent Contestant Perry Kurtz Dead at 73

Comedian Perry Kurtz, who had a memorable audition on America’s Got Talent , has died in a hit-and-run accident at the age of 73, our sister site Deadline reports.

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Kurtz was struck by a car on Thursday evening, law enforcement sources tell TMZ , and was pronounced dead at the scene. A suspect has reportedly been arrested on suspicion of felony hit-and-run causing death.

Kurtz was a longtime stand-up comedian, performing at comedy clubs across the country throughout the ’70s and ’80s. In 2013, he appeared in the audition rounds of NBC’s America’s Got Talent , introducing himself as a 62-year-old “ex-male stripper.” He then launched into a freestyle rap about the judges, but he was quickly booed and heckled by the audience and received firm “no” votes from all three judges: Howard Stern, Heidi Klum and Mel B.

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The act turned Kurtz into a William Hung-style viral sensation, though, and in 2018, he went on to appear on an episode of CBS’ The Late Late Show With James Corden , performing the classic tune “Louie Louie” on his keytar using only his tongue. He received a much warmer reception from Corden and the crowd that time; press PLAY to watch his full performance below:

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