Heather Wyatt of Ocean Springs was understandably nervous.
She was about to appear on one of the most popular shows on television, American Idol. But she was also meeting for the first time the teen who wrote Forever 13, a song about her daughter Aubreigh Wyatt’s death by suicide. Heather Wyatt hoped to hold it together when she finally met the singer/songwriter who memorialized Aubreigh’s story.
But they dissolved into tears when singer/songwriter Khloe Grace walked onto the stage in Nashville and the two embraced after Wyatt’s introduction. Khloe was unaware Wyatt would be there.
“It was amazing,” Wyatt said Tuesday morning. “It was very emotional. We surprised her.”
After she performed Forever 13, Khloe Grace, who is originally from Jacksonville, Florida, received a coveted “golden ticket” to Hollywood to compete on this season of American Idol.
Khloe Grace, Aubreigh Wyatt the same age
Wyatt noted that Khloe Grace is 15, just like Aubreigh would be.
Although they had never met, Heather Wyatt and Khloe knew one another before the show. Khloe discovered Wyatt on TikTok, where Wyatt now has 3 million followers. Wyatt began sharing Aubreigh’s story on TikTok as a way to raise awareness about bullying and teen suicide.
Khloe had been bullied herself, she said, so Aubreigh’s story resonated with her. Khloe wrote the song and posted it on TikTok a year after the Ocean Springs Middle School student’s death on Sept. 4, 2023.
Wyatt soon saw and reposted Khloe’s tribute.
It’s just been amazing,” Wyatt said Tuesday. “It’s meant the world to me to be able to have this song, and it will last forever.”
Aubreigh loved big gestures. “I feel like it’s such a gift from above,” Wyatt said. “She would be over-the-moon ecstatic.”
Since her daughter’s death, Wyatt has written a book, The Aubreigh Wyatt Story: A Mother’s Fight for Justice, Love and Lasting Change. She’s also started a foundation in Aubreigh’s name, appeared on a podcast and accepted speaking engagements. She’s shared links to all her activities on Linktree.
Wyatt also has lawsuits pending in U.S. District Court in Gulfport against the Ocean Springs School District and in Los Angeles County, California, against social media companies. In California, her case has been consolidated with hundreds of other “social media youth addiction lawsuits,” as they are referred to in legal circles.
As for Khloe, she received so much feedback about Forever 13 that she wrote a follow-up, posted on TikTok, called, Your Reasons to Stay.