"Thank you for singing along," the actress wrote on her Instagram Stories after the surprise.
The long-serving adjudicator had been diagnosed with bone cancer.
“I guess this is called the 'Iam Tongi Show' now,” Katy Perry quipped.
“He was completely himself until the very end," the comic's family said.
The modern update of the 1978 cult classic will also star Barbie Ferreira & Dacrae Montgomery.
She also cites the likes of Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton and Tammy Wynette as forebears she learned from in her career.
"It has been deliriously hilarious, challenging and for me, an absolute dream," Gomez added of filming the Hulu show's upcoming third season.
The NOW lineup of this year's event will also feature a Disney+ film about AGT's Detroit Youth Choir.
The former first lady revealed she is not immune to getting starstruck.
Twelve former queens from the Drag Race extended universe will return to battle for the crown.
