Zach Braff and Cordero in “Bullets over Broadway”
Tony-nominated Broadway musical performer Nick Cordero died on Sunday from COVID-19 complications. Born and raised in Hamilton, Canada, Cordero attended Ryerson University in Toronto for two years before leaving to perform in the band Lovemethod. He made his New York stage debut in the title role of the 2009 Off-Broadway musical The Toxic Avenger and his Broadway debut as Dennis in Rock of Ages in 2012, touring with the show before returning to New York in 2014 for the musical adaptation of the film Bullets over Broadway, for which he received a Tony nomination as Best Featured Actor in a Musical (watch here) as well as a Drama Desk Award, Outer Critics Circle Award, and a Theater World Award for the role. In 2016, he joined the Broadway production of Waitress, leaving that show to star in the Broadway musical A Bronx Tale, for which he was nominated for the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical. In 2017, he married fellow Bullets performer Amanda Kloots, and their son Elvis arrived in June 2019.
In March 2020, Cordero was was admitted to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles with what was thought to be pneumonia but later determined to be coronavirus. He lost consciousness on March 31, as his conditioned deteriorated. A month later, his right leg was amputated due to complications from his illness. Kloots regularly shared updates about Cordero’s condition on her social media, including a daily dance to his song “Live Your Life” (watch here) with the hashtag #WakeUpNick. By May 13, he had regained consciousness and his condition seemed to improve, but he died on July 5.