Simon Cowell gives 11-year-old cancer survivor the Golden Buzzer on 'AGT'

Stephen Proctor
Updated

Tyler Butler-Figueroa, an 11-year-old cancer survivor from North Carolina, brought down the house on America’s Got Talent Tuesday night with his amazing violin performance. The judges and fans alike were wowed by Tyler’s powerful performance and his story, so much so that the YouTube video quickly went viral, reaching over a million views in just a few hours.

Before his performance, Tyler told the judges that he almost died after he was diagnosed with leukemia at the age of four, and was bullied because of the disease. Simon Cowell had some words of encouragement for Tyler.

“You know what? You are an extraordinary young man,” Cowell told Tyler. “We hear too many stories about people being bullied, but I can tell you one thing, most people are bullied because they’re better than the people who bully them.”

Then Cowell addressed the boy’s bullies while at the same time sending Tyler directly to the live shows.

“I would like to say something on your behalf to the bullies,” he told Tyler before reaching for the Golden Buzzer. Tyler was brought to tears.

America’s Got Talent airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. on NBC. Watch clips and full episodes of America’s Got Talent for free on Yahoo View.

Watch this AGT contestant fall offstage and flash the judges:

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