Broadway performer Nick Cordero, who was hospitalized in March with COVID-19, has died at the age of 41 due to complications from the disease. Cordero’s wife, Amanda Kloots, who posted frequent updates about the actor’s condition to Instagram, confirmed his death on Sunday. “God has another angel in heaven now,†she wrote. “My darling husband passed away this morning. He was surrounded in love by his family, singing and praying as he gently left this earth.â€
Born in Hamilton, Ontario, Cordero’s Off-Broadway debut was as the lead in The Toxic Avenger stage play. In addition to appearing in Broadway’s Rock of Ages in 2012, he was nominated in 2014 for a Best Featured Actor Tony and a Drama Desk Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical award for his turn as Cheech in the Broadway production of Bullets Over Broadway. In 2016, he played Earl in Broadway’s Waitress, leaving the show to join the cast of A Bronx Tale as Sonny, a role that earned him another Drama Desk Outstanding Featured Actor nomination in 2017. Cordero also appeared on several television shows, including Blue Bloods and Law & Order: SVU.
In late March, Cordero was admitted to Los Angeles’ Cedars-Sinai Medical Center after experiencing symptoms of the coronavirus, for which he subsequently tested positive. He was placed in a medically-induced coma and eventually received a temporary pacemaker, in addition to having his right leg amputated. Cordero woke up from his coma in May and, according to Kloots’ recent appearance on CBS This Morning, would likely need a lung transplant once he was strong enough to be considered a candidate. A GoFundMe was established this spring to raise money for his medical bills.
Writes Kloots, “Nick was such a bright light. He was everyone’s friend, loved to listen, help and especially talk. He was an incredible actor and musician. He loved his family and loved being a father and husband. Elvis and I will miss him in everything we do, everyday.†Cordero is survived by his wife and one-year-old son, Elvis Eduardo.