Nick Cordero, celebrated Broadway star, died on Sunday following a lengthy hospitalization and numerous health complications due to COVID-19. He was 41.
Cordero's wife, Amanda Kloots, shared the heartbreaking news on Instagram.
"God has another angel in heaven now," Kloots captioned a photo of Cordero. "My darling husband passed away this morning. He was surrounded in love by his family, singing and praying as he gently left this earth."
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"I am in disbelief and hurting everywhere. My heart is broken as I cannot imagine our lives without him. 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."
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"To Nicks extraordinary doctor, Dr. David Ng, you were my positive doctor! There are not many doctors like you. Kind, smart, compassionate, assertive and always eager to listen to my crazy ideas or call yet another doctor for me for a second opinion. You’re a diamond in the rough."
"I cannot begin to thank everyone enough for the outpour of love, support and help we’ve received these last 95 days. You have no idea how much you lifted my spirits at 3pm everyday as the world sang Nicks song, Live Your Life," she concluded. "We sang it to him today, holding his hands. As I sang the last line to him, “they’ll give you hell but don’t you light them kill your light not without a fight. Live your life,” I smiled because he definitely put up a fight. I will love you forever and always my sweet man."
Cordero was best known for his celebrated Broadway performances. He appeared in the 2012 production and tour of the musical Rock of Ages, and played Earl in the Broadway production of Waitress before leaving the show to take on the role of Sonny in the stage adaptation of A Bronx Tale.
In 2014, Cordero also appeared in the Broadway production of Bullets Over Broadway, which earned him a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actor in a Musical.
It was on the set of Bullets Over Broadway that Cordero met his future wife, a celebrity fitness instructor. Kloots and Cordero welcomed their son, Elvis, last June.
On April 1, Kloots first shared that her husband was unconscious in the ICU after being diagnosed with pneumonia the week prior, and that they were waiting on the results of a coronavirus test. Several days later, she revealed that the test had returned positive.
Kloots shared another update on April 10, asking for her friends and fans' continued support.
"My whole world has stopped. Please pray for my husband. Prayer warriors, prayer circles, whatever you’ve got," she wrote. "Energy, meditation, positive thinking. He is fighting for his life right now."
The following day, Kloots said that, after making some headway in recovering, Cordero's condition worsened and he needed emergency surgery and resuscitation.
"We had really great progress and then yesterday I got a phone call saying that he had an infection in his lungs," Kloots shared. "That caused his fever to spike way above normal, which caused his blood pressure to drop, which caused his heart to go to an irregular pattern. He lost consciousness, he lost his pulse and they had to resuscitate him. It was very scary. They had a very hard time getting him back."
Kloots explained that Cordero needed a machine to help his lungs and his heart, and that he was undergoing dialysis to assist with kidney function. There was also a blockage of blood flow to his leg that required his right leg to be amputated.
On April 12, Kloots shared a video to Instagram showing herself and baby Elvis recording a message for Cordero, and she explained that she'd been taping videos for her husband every day since his hospitalization began "so that when he wakes up he can watch them and feel like he’s been with Elvis and I everyday."
A month later, on May 12, Kloots said that Cordero had woken up from his coma. She continued to share Cordero's positive progress with fans, but then revealed on May 20 that things had taken a turn "downhill."
"I know that this virus is not going to get him down," she said, breaking down. "It's not how his story ends, so just keep us in your thoughts and prayers."
On June 3, Kloots shared that the doctors had instructed her to say her goodbyes to Cordero. "I’ve been told a couple times that he won’t make it. I’ve been told to say goodbye," she wrote alongside a black-and-white photo of Cordero kissing their son.
Later that month, Kloots shared heartbreaking posts about Kloots missing their son’s first birthday, and his first steps.
"Of course my mind went right to Nick and Nick missing that moment. That wasn't easy," she wrote on June 16. "... And every day that goes by I just feel like my heart is just breaking more and more and more. Because I think about him laying there and I just am devastated. And I see our little boy, just the cutest little thing, growing up and doing all these firsts and Nick missing them and it's heartbreaking."
Cordero is survived by Kloots and their son, Elvis.
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