The parents of Emily Gold have broken their silence on their daughter’s tragic death via a painful post on social media following the 17-year-old’s passing earlier this month.
We reported last week how the teenager, who captured the hearts of audiences alongside her Los Osos High School dance team on America’s Got Talent, died on Friday, Sept 13, as confirmed by the San Bernardino Coroner’s Office.
Emily, from Southern California, recently competed on AGT with her high school dance team. Her parents have issued a statement on social media and it’s every bit as heartbreaking as one might expect.
California Highway Patrol Public Information Officer Rodrigo Jimenez confirmed that officers had responded to an incident at around 11:52 p.m. on Friday, September 13.
”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,” Jimenez said.
”The female succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced deceased at the scene.”
According to Page Six, Gold is believed to have ”reaped off the over-crossing and landed on the freeway in the carpool lane” in Rancho Cucamonga, California. Her death is being treated as a suicide, though no suicide not is said to have been recovered at the time of writing.
On September 16, Emily’s parents, Brandy and Steve Gold, expressed their heartbreak over their daughter’s passing. Penning a statement on behalf of themselves and their son Alex, they wrote:
“Our hearts have a hole the size of the universe right now. The outpouring of love and support we are receiving shows us how many lives that angel touched and lifted up, and it is what will help us through the most difficult time of our lives.
“Thank you all so much for your love and support. We will announce details of services once they have been arranged. Love, Brandy, Steve and Alex Gold.”
Earlier in 2024, Gold had captured the attention of millions of viewers as part of her high school’s dance team on America’s Got Talent. The team progressed to the quarterfinals.
Celebrity judge Simon Cowell was particularly impressed with their performance, praising the energy they brought to the stage.
”It was absolutely brilliant,” Cowell said during the show.”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.”
Emily herself spoke with People after the team’s performance, expressing the care and focus she put into each 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,” the 17-year-old said.
Rest in peace, Emily Gold. Such a tragic loss.