The kid with cancer
Tyler Butler-Figueroa was born in 2007 and grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina, raised by his mother, Kisua Butler-Figueroa. At four and a half he was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, the most common childhood cancer. Three years of chemotherapy followed — hospital stays, spinal taps, surgeries. By his own account on his official site, he almost died.
School added a second wound. The treatment made his hair fall out, and classmates turned that into a weapon. “They would spread rumors to say that my cancer was contagious,” he later said. He came out of it with a sentence that would be quoted across the country: “I just didn’t want to be the kid with cancer. So now, I’m the kid who plays the violin.”
A school flier and a $30 violin
The violin arrived almost by accident. Cancer-free but still waiting for a final surgery, he could not play contact sports with his friends. Then he saw a flier at school for free after-school lessons run by Kidznotes, a youth-orchestra nonprofit in North Carolina’s Triangle region. He was seven. “Once he started that class, it was like a sunshine,” his mother told Classic FM. “He was just full of energy and happy.”
His first instrument was cheap — a $30 violin his mother bought on eBay, according to a June 2019 WRAL report; a later WRAL story says it came from a flea market. He pushed beyond the class by teaching himself technique from YouTube videos, won his school talent show, and in 2018 watched the America’s Got Talent violinist Brian King Joseph and decided that was where he wanted to be. In June 2019, WRAL reported, Barbara Goodmon — whose family owns the station — saw him playing on a Raleigh street and arranged through the A.J. Fletcher Foundation for a new violin.
The Golden Buzzer
The audition was taped at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium and aired on June 11, 2019. Tyler, 11, told the judges his story and played Kelly Clarkson’s “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You).” Simon Cowell stood up and pressed the Golden Buzzer — the button that sends an act straight to the live shows. It was the third Golden Buzzer of the season.
Cowell’s explanation went viral with the clip: “most people are bullied because they are better than the people who bully them.” Judge Julianne Hough told him she wanted to commend him “for taking something that’s probably been one of the hardest things you’ll ever have to go through and turning it around.” The audition passed 18 million YouTube views within a week, WRAL reported, and 30 million by September.
Four songs to the final
In the quarterfinals in August he played Swedish House Mafia’s “Don’t You Worry Child” and advanced. For the first semifinal, on September 3, he chose Ariana Grande’s “Break Free” and filled the stage with other child cancer survivors. Guest judge Sean Hayes said it “blew my mind away”; Gabrielle Union called it “truly, truly magical.” He was one of 5 acts, out of 11, sent through to the final.
On finals night, September 17, he played Destiny’s Child’s “Survivor,” a song WRAL reported Beyoncé personally cleared for him, after an introduction in which children fighting cancer thanked him on camera. The crowd stood. In the finale the next day he shared the stage with Brian King Joseph, the violinist who had inspired him, and was cut in the first elimination. Kodi Lee won the season.
Third among the champions
The show was not finished with him. On his 12th birthday, September 25, 2019, he played on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. That autumn he played six “AGT Live” shows in Las Vegas alongside Kodi Lee, according to his official biography.
In early 2020 NBC brought him back for AGT: The Champions, a season built from winners and standouts of Got Talent shows around the world. He won the superfan vote in his preliminary round and finished third on February 17, 2020, behind V.Unbeatable and Duo Transcend. His performances that season included Blanco Brown’s “The Git Up,” “What a Wonderful World” and a stripped-down “Hallelujah.”
After television: albums, orchestras, college
The years since have been quieter and more musical. In 2022 he released A Violin Christmas and, according to his official site, became first chair and concertmaster of the Triangle Youth Symphony. His first original single, “NO SLEEP,” followed in October 2023, then the 14-track covers album Timeless, Vol. 1 in April 2024, and a solo show, Timeless: The Experience, in September 2024. In November 2025 he played in North Carolina’s All-State Honors Orchestra and released a gospel album, Symphony of Testimony.
NBC put his audition back on air in July 2025 in a special on the show’s greatest Golden Buzzers, noting he “hasn’t put the violin down since.” His official site also lists performances for former President George W. Bush at a biotechnology convention in 2025 and at the Pentagon in April 2026; those claims come from his own channels and have not been independently reported.
Where is Tyler Butler-Figueroa now?
Born in September 2007 — his official site marks his birthday on September 25 — Tyler is 18 and turns 19 on September 25, 2026. He was a high-school senior in 2025–26, and his events page says he spent August 2026 “settling into college in Charlotte NC”; the college is not named.
He still performs across North Carolina, from school events to weddings, and his official biography describes him as in remission for more than nine years. The boy who did not want to be the kid with cancer has, by any measure, become the kid who plays the violin.
“I just didn’t want to be the kid with cancer. So now, I’m the kid who plays the violin.”Tyler Butler-Figueroa, in his America’s Got Talent audition (2019)
“Once he started that class, it was like a sunshine. He was just full of energy and happy.”Kisua Butler-Figueroa, his mother (Classic FM)
“Most people are bullied because they are better than the people who bully them.”Simon Cowell, at Tyler’s audition (2019)
Visual story: Tyler Butler-Figueroa on camera
On The Ellen DeGeneres Show after the 2019 finals (TheEllenShow)
AGT: The Champions, 2020 — “What a Wonderful World”
| Person | Country | Milestone | Age / Stat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tyler Butler-Figueroa | USA | Simon Cowell’s Golden Buzzer; AGT finalist; 3rd on AGT: The Champions | 11 |
| Grace VanderWaal | USA | Won America’s Got Talent (season 11) | 12 |
| Darci Lynne Farmer | USA | Won America’s Got Talent (season 12) | 12 |
| Emanne Beasha | Jordan / USA | Golden Buzzer; AGT season-14 finalist alongside Tyler | 10 |
| Victory Brinker | USA | Group Golden Buzzer from all the judges (season 16) | 9 |
| Sara James | Poland | Simon Cowell’s Golden Buzzer (season 17) | 13 |
What is documented — and what is not
✓ Documented
- He is from Raleigh, North Carolina, and was 11 at his audition.
- Acute lymphoblastic leukemia at about 4½, followed by three years of chemotherapy.
- Free violin lessons through Kidznotes from about age seven.
- Simon Cowell’s Golden Buzzer for “Stronger,” aired June 11, 2019; top-10 finalist in season 14.
- Third place on AGT: The Champions, February 17, 2020; albums released in 2022, 2024 and 2025.
? Unverified, disputed or wrong
- “South Carolina” as his home state — wrong; every source says Raleigh, North Carolina.
- His first violin: a $30 eBay purchase in one WRAL report, a flea-market find in another.
- “Placed 3rd in the world” — his own framing of third place on AGT: The Champions.
- Performances for George W. Bush and at the Pentagon — reported only on his own channels.
- His exact finishing position in the 2019 final (somewhere from 6th to 10th) was not announced.
Talent shows manufacture sympathy stories by the dozen. Tyler Butler-Figueroa’s lasted because the second act was real: a boy who took up the violin to stop being defined by cancer, reached the final of America’s Got Talent, finished third among its international champions — and then kept playing when the cameras left.
His later path, through youth orchestras, self-released albums and a concertmaster’s chair, is the unglamorous part most viral performers skip. It is also the part that turns a Golden Buzzer into a musician.
Questions people ask about Tyler Butler-Figueroa
How old is Tyler Butler-Figueroa now?
Born in September 2007, he is 18 and turns 19 on September 25, 2026, according to the birthday on his official site. He was 11 when his audition aired in June 2019.
Where is Tyler Butler-Figueroa now?
Performing across North Carolina and releasing music — his gospel album Symphony of Testimony came out in November 2025. His events page says he was settling into college in Charlotte, North Carolina, in August 2026; the college is not named.
Is Tyler Butler-Figueroa cancer-free?
Yes. He had been in remission for about four years at his 2019 audition, and his official site now says he has been in remission for more than nine years.
What song did he play for the Golden Buzzer?
Kelly Clarkson’s “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You),” at the audition that aired on June 11, 2019. Simon Cowell pressed the Golden Buzzer.
Did Tyler Butler-Figueroa win America’s Got Talent?
No. He reached the season-14 final and was cut in the first elimination on September 18, 2019; Kodi Lee won. In February 2020 he finished third on AGT: The Champions.
Did he play “Hallelujah” on AGT?
Yes — a stripped-down “Hallelujah” was one of his performances on AGT: The Champions in early 2020.
Who are Tyler Butler-Figueroa’s parents?
He was raised by his mother, Kisua Butler-Figueroa, a single mother who has spoken to WRAL and Classic FM about his illness and his music. His father is not named in the coverage.
What is Tyler Butler-Figueroa’s net worth?
Unknown. No reliable estimate of his earnings or net worth has been published.
Quick quiz: how well do you know Tyler’s story?
Which judge pressed the Golden Buzzer for Tyler?
Simon Cowell — the third Golden Buzzer of season 14.
What did he play at his audition?
Kelly Clarkson’s “Stronger,” aired June 11, 2019.
Where did he finish on AGT: The Champions?
Third, behind V.Unbeatable and Duo Transcend, on February 17, 2020.
Sources
- 11-year-old violinist, cancer survivor earns Simon’s Golden Buzzer on America’s Got Talent — NBC4 (WCMH), June 2019
- Meet Tyler, the Raleigh boy who wowed everyone on America’s Got Talent — WRAL, June 17, 2019
- America’s Got Talent violinist, 11, who was bullied during cancer — TODAY, June 2019
- Tyler Butler-Figueroa wows crowds again with Ariana Grande song — WRAL, September 3, 2019
- AGT violinist Tyler Butler-Figueroa plays Ariana Grande — Classic FM, September 4, 2019
- Two Triangle stars shine in finals of America’s Got Talent — WRAL, September 18, 2019
- AGT winner: Kodi Lee wins season 14 — TVLine, September 18, 2019
- AGT: The Champions results — V.Unbeatable wins season 2 — TVLine, February 17, 2020
- Tyler Butler-Figueroa, violinist — Classic FM, February 11, 2020
- Every Golden Buzzer: AGT special — NBC Insider, July 2025
- About Tyler (official site) — tylerbfmusic.com, accessed September 22, 2026
- Symphony of Testimony — Apple Music, November 14, 2025
- Events (official site) — tylerbfmusic.com, accessed September 22, 2026
Checked by the Geniuses.club editorial team. Ages are given as of September 2026.
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