Matt Mauser, the singer who lost his wife in the same helicopter crash as Kobe Bryant, gave an emotional performance of “Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)” by Phil Collins on “America’s Got Talent.”
“You know if I had it my way, I would have my wife and I’d be supporting her, but that’s not what happened,” Mauser told the judges on Tuesday night. “It’s been a rough year, but here I am.”
Mauser is the lead singer of the rock band Tijuana Dogs and has also performed in a Frank Sinatra tribute band. His wife, Christina, was Bryant’s assistant coach on Team Mamba, the young girl’s basketball team that Gianna Bryant played on. Bryant, the famous Lakers superstar; his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna; Christina and five other people died in a helicopter crash on Jan. 26, 2020.
During a pre-interview with “America’s Got Talent” host Terry Crews, the musician revealed that his wife was his greatest supporter.
“Before January 26th, me and Christina lived this dreamy kind of life,” he said. “We met in 2004, she came and saw me play at this dive bar. I asked her out, and we sat in my car and talked about music.”
After the accident, Mauser said his focus immediately went to repairing his family as “she would want our kids to have happy lives.”
“She was just this very humble, powerful, beautiful human being,” Mauser said, revealing that they were married for 15 years and had three children together. “When she left that day, she kissed me and she said, ‘I love you.’ That was the last thing my wife ever said to me. Your whole life changes in a second.”
With his three children at his side, the singer earned a standing ovation from the audience as well as judges Simon Cowell, Howie Mandel, Sofia Vergara and Heidi Klum for his performance.
“I would like to make sure that my children see that in spite of the grief that we’ve been through this year, that grief is not going to define who we are as a family,” Mauser said after his performance. “And that my children see that we have to find joy in life and we have to continue. If this can in any way help my children to chase their dreams, then I’ll take it.”
