Elton John expressed his appreciation for Archie Williams,59, on Twitter after he gave a poignant rendition of “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me” in front of the judges.
The 73-year-old singer of “Rocketman” stated the contestant’s rendition of the song brought him to tears and compared his bravery to Nelson Mandela’s.
Archie Williams told the judges just before his America’s Got Talent performance that he had been freed from jail after 36 years because DNA evidence had proven his innocence.
Elton tweeted, “I was brought to tears when I heard Archie’s story and saw him perform ‘Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me.'”
“It’s really impressive how brave and forgiving he is. The same spirit that Nelson Mandela inspired in the world.
When Elton John re-released “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me” as a duet with George Michael in 1991, it became an enormous smash. The song had been a top ten hit for him in 1974.
Simon Cowell declared following the performance, “I will never listen to the song in the same way after you.
For me, it took on an entirely new significance. I will always remember this audition for the rest of my life.
When Archie Williams was just 22 years old, he was wrongfully imprisoned for the rape and stabbing of a white woman in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Following his performance, Archie Williams—who was unfairly imprisoned for 36 years—gets a standing ovation.
NBC Despite witnesses’ evidence showing Archie was asleep at home throughout the attack, the victim repeatedly gave him the erroneous identity.
Archie was given a life sentence without the possibility of release after being found guilty of attempted murder, aggravated rape, and aggravated burglary.
I was aware of my innocence. He said to Terry Crews, the host of AGT, “I didn’t commit a crime, but being a poor black kid,
I didn’t have the ability to fight the state of Louisiana.” He went on, “Freedom is of the mind.” “I was incarcerated, but I never allowed my mind to go there.”
Only a few months after his release from prison, Archie had his audition for America’s Got Talent. 2019 saw Archie’s release from jail as a result of the efforts of the Innocence Project,
who took up his case in the 1990s and discovered DNA evidence that demonstrated his innocence. The competitor claimed that singing while incarcerated
at Louisiana’s Angola State Penitentiary had helped him maintain vocal fitness and that he had always wanted to try out for America’s Got Talent.