My son has this bird of paradise plant in his apartment and part of a leaf will turn brown. Recently a new leaf just died as it was unfolding. Any ideas what he needs to do? More light? More water? Need to mist it? I will include a picture.

You will get several comments shortly but I think that these plants are NOT big on watering as they like to be dry from time to time, not wet. Misting is never a substitute for watering! Especially indoors.
I believe your son's plant needs good light like close to a sunny window for a few hours a day.
A little plant food applied quarterly might help too but these are not "heavy feeders".

The likely cause of the new leaf deformity is under watering. When left in their plastic nursery pots, as they should be, White Birds require a thorough watering as soon as the surface of the soil feels almost dry. They are hard to overwater. Maximum indoor sunlight right in front of a sunny window is also important.

If you repotted into a much larger pot, then root damage or suffocation could be the problem.