Magician Shin Lim, winner of the latest season of America's Got Talent, grew up in Singapore

SINGAPORE - Magician Shin Lim, who has a connection to Singapore, has won the 13th season of America's Got Talent.

He wins US$1 million (S$1.37 million) and a three-night residency in Las Vegas.

The 26-year-old Canadian-American was born in Canada and reportedly grew up in Singapore between the ages of two and 11. He had harboured dreams of being a pianist until he was diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome and decided to pursue magic as a career.

His appearance on the magic competition television programme Penn & Teller: Fool Us has racked up over 52 million views on YouTube since it was posted in 2015.

The results were announced by host Tyra Banks during the live finale on Sept 19 from the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.

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As second-placed Austrian acrobatic group Zurcaroh bore him aloft, Banks exclaimed: "Shin Lim, the sexiest magician on the planet."

A visibly moved Lim said: "Thank you so much to everyone, I love you all so much... I can't speak right now."

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The judges on America's Got Talent were comedian and actor Howie Mandel, singer Mel B, model Heidi Klum and TV titan Simon Cowell.

The final live show will be on AXN (StarHub Channel 511, Singtel TV Channel 304) on Sept 20 at 6pm with an encore telecast at 8pm. The results show wll be on Sept 21 at 6pm with an encore at 8pm.

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.