More than a year after a devastating loss, Matt Mauser stepped on the stage of ‘America’s Got Talent’, hoping to reconcile with the grief and move forward with his family.
His wife Christina, a girls’ basketball coach at Kobe Bryant’s Mamba Academy, fell victim to the same helicopter crash that devastated the world of the NBA. “She kissed me and said I love you,” said Matt about the day that changed his and their family’s life.
And while reminiscing of the times gone by, Matt said: “Me and Christina lived this kind of dreamy life,” and later continued: “We were married for 15 years. We have three beautiful children. It was filled with love.”
Judges, shocked to hear what happened, invited his three children up on the stage and wished him the best of luck with his performance. Matt chose to sing a Phil Collins ballade, ‘Against All Odds (Look at Me Now)’.
With Matt’s story, a powerful ballade about lovers’ breakup received a deeper meaning. His beautiful Sinatra-like voice coupled with raw emotion turned it into a song of hope.
After the performance, Simon Cowell asked Matt what the goal of his involvement in the show would be. Matt replied: “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.”
The most touching performance coupled with Matt’s courage and talent earned him four yeses that will enable him to continue setting positive examples for his three children.