Death is a sad, yet inevitable part of life. However, when it strikes a child, the grief can be particularly hard to bear with.
At less than 16-years-old, Fletcher Pilon was experiencing this type of loss when his younger brother Banjo was struck and killed by a car.
The Pilon family had just received news that their eldest son would be opening for Australian singer Cody Simpson during a round of sold-out concerts. The next day, their younger son Banjo was gone.
Ten-year-old Banjo had been skateboarding with friends on a neighborhood street when he was struck by a teenager driving a Subaru wagon.
The boy suffered severe head, chest, and leg injuries, and was flown to Sydney’s Children’s Hospital in critical condition— where he passed away sometime later.
As can be imagined, the Pilon family was devastated by Banjo’s passing.
However, in the wake of their grief, Fletcher, Banjo’s older brother, managed to commemorate him in the most amazing way.
Only 3 months after Banjo’s death, Fletcher appeared to audition for the eight season of the hit show Australia’s Got Talent.
“I’m going to play a song that I’ve written for my brother,” he tells the judges.
“His name’s Banjo and he passed away about three-and-a-half months ago.”
The song is called “Infinite Child” and was written by Fletcher, especially for his brother. “It’s about how I feel,” he said. “Like, he’s always going to be with me.”
From there, Fletcher launches into an emotional ballad that touches every person in the audience— and ultimately ends up winning the entire competition.
“I remember the days we used to skate in the street,” he sings.
“You were so happy in your bright red jeans.
There was nothing you liked more than going faster than me.”
As Fletcher sings his heartbreaking tribute to Banjo, the emotions on the judges’ faces are evident.
No one is immune to the power of the emotional lyrics and the grief that is expressed in Fletcher’s voice.
It’s hard not to feel the pain inherent in the lyrics as Fletcher sings the chorus— “Fly, fly infinite child.”
By the end of the performance, every sniffling judge stands to give the young boy a standing ovation.
“Beyond the content of the story, you’ve got incredible talent,” judge Ian Dickson tells Fletcher, trying to gather his composure. “Your voice regardless of anything has got some wonderful, wonderful tones in it, and you’ve got a stillness and a presence which is just incredible, young man. It really is.
“Amazing. Unbelievable. Probably the best thing I’ve seen in years,” said Sophie Monk.
In an interview following the audition, Fletcher said, “I loved the response from the judges and the audience when I performed the song. I was very touched at how they responded to Banjo’s message.”
The judges (unsurprisingly) voted to send Fletcher into the next round, where the young boy dominated the competition and ultimately took home first place.
When he released his first EP, he named it Banjo after his brother.
See the emotional audition below!
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