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America’s Got Talent is mourning the loss of one of its own. Former contestant and stand-up comic Perry Kurtz has sadly passed away. He was 73 years old. But how did America’s Got Talent Perry Kurtz die?

How Did America’s Got Talent Perry Kurtz Die?

Us Weekly reports that Kurtz was involved in a hit-and-run. According to the Los Angeles Police Department, he was struck when crossing the street in the Tarzana neighborhood of Los Angeles, California on Thursday, August 15. He was declared dead at the scene.

“The Honda continued eastbound failing to stop, identify self, or render aid as required by law,” the Los Angeles Police Department said in a statement.

Kurtz was identified as the victim in a report by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner report, which Us Weekly viewed. His cause of death has not yet been revealed.

An 18-year-old suspected was arrested on Friday, August 18th. Investigators allege he was responsible for striking Kurtz.

A Philadelphia native, Kurtz started his career in the ’70s and made an appearance in Season 8 of America’s Got Talent in front of judges Howard Stern, Mel B, and Heidi Klum, identifying himself as an “ex-male stripper,” before going on to perform a routine. Sadly, the judges didn’t find him funny enough, and Kurtz got three “nos” and did not advance past the auditions.

“Howard had prewritten mean jokes, to which I heckled him back and got laughs from the crowd,” Kurtz joked about his experience on his YouTube page. “They gave me no mic stand, strange music, and shut my mic off to 2/3 of the audience when I started to sing, THEN told the crowd to stand up and boo me. Welcome to reality TV.”

After his America’s Got Talent appearance, Kurtz appeared on The Late Late Show With James Corden.