Richard Goodall beat 2 African finalists & others to win 2024 America's Got Talent

"America's Got Talent" has crowned its newest winner.

Paperboy hat-donning Richard Goodall, the self-proclaimed "singing janitor" from Indiana who auditioned with an emotional rendition of Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'" that went viral, took home the top prize during the "AGT" finale Tuesday night. 

The powerhouse vocalist, who won Heidi Klum's Golden Buzzer, beat out nine other finalists, including gravity-defying Tanzanian acrobats Hakuna Matata Acrobats, Zimbabwean stand-up comedian Learnmore Jonasi and Japanese dance group AIRFOOTWORKS. 

As the night came to a close, the competition was narrowed down to just Goodall and the dog performing duo from Israel, Roni Sagi and Rhythm. "AGT" was a fish-out-of-water experience for Goodall, who has worked in the same western Indiana school district for 23 years and boarded a plane for the first time to audition for the NBC competition show. 

He grew up belting along to his RadioShack stereo and in the '90s performed at karaoke nights. He performed with two gospel trios until the pandemic put a halt on those ventures. Then in 2021, Goodall's wife, Patty, died of cancer. 

"When you're married for so long and they pass away and you've got that void there, your biggest concern is figuring out who you are without them," he told the Indianapolis Star, part of the USA TODAY Network, in May. "And music was the bridge again."

The week before the finale, he married his fiancée, Angie Vanoven, with his "AGT" family in attendance. He announced on Facebook that they are now Richard and Angela VanGoodall. 

In 2022, Goodall went viral for the first time with his rendition of "Don't Stop Believin'" at his students' graduation. 

Even former Journey frontman Steve Perry praised the performance. 

When asked if he was headed back home to quit his janitor job, Richard wasn’t sure he was going to do that immediately. 

“I want the students to be a part of this whole process, but we’ll see what opportunities come our way and go from there,” he said, taking into consideration the fact that the students had encouraged him to audition in the first place. “I never dreamed this could happen.” 

Richard won the $1 million prize and the title, AND also a brand-new Kia EV9.

Who were the 'AGT' 2024 finalists?

The Top 10 acts were:

• Roni Sagi & Rhythm (dancer and dancing dog)
• Sky Elements (aerial drones)
• Learnmore Jonasi (stand-up comedian)
• Solange Kardinaly (quick-change magician)
• Brent Street (dance group)
• Richard Goodall (singer)
• Hakuna Matata Acrobats (acrobatics group)
• AIRFOOTWORKS (dance group)
• Dee Dee Simon (singer)
• Sebastian and Sonia (aerialists)
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