The death of a 17-year-old who appeared on "America's Got Talent" with her high school dance team has sparked a conversation on teens and mental health. Emily Gold, a varsity dance captain and senior at Los Osos High School in Rancho Cucamonga, California, died by suicide, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department Coroner's Office, which lists Sept. 14, as her date of death.
Gold appeared in August in the quarterfinals of the competition show "America's Got Talent" with the Los Osos High School dance team. After her death, Gold was remembered by her dance team in an Instagram tribute as a "leader, role model, friend, and sister to her teammates." The school district that Gold attended also mourned her death, saying in a statement, "The Chaffey Joint Union High School District community is heartbroken by the tragic death of Los Osos High School Senior Emily Gold.
" "Emily was a cherished member of the Los Osos High School campus and was beloved by her fellow students and teachers," superintendent Mat Holton, Ed.D., said in the statement shared with ABC News.
"The District and school are providing on-site grief counselors and therapists to any student who might need support during this difficult time. We extend our deepest condolences to Emily's family and loved ones." Gold's death sparked a conversation on social media about mental health and suicide.
"We just never know what someone is going through or struggling with," one commenter wrote on the Los Osos Hig.