Sara Bareilles and Waitress Cast 'Brokenhearted' After Costar Nick Cordero's Death

Karen Mizoguchi
·5 min read

Sara Bareilles is mourning the death of a Waitress family member.

The singer, who wrote the music and lyrics for the Broadway musical, paid tribute to Nick Cordero on Sunday, after his wife Amanda Kloots shared on Instagram that the 41-year-old actor had died that morning.

Cordero is survived by his wife Kloots and their 1-year-old son Elvis Eduardo.

"Broken hearted and sending love to Nick's family," Bareilles, 40, wrote on an Instagram Story.

"He was light. Kind and gentle. Talented and humble. Funny and friendly. The best laugh. Sending so much love to the love warrior @amandakloots and little Elvis, and an immense hug to any one who is feeling the loss of this giant heart. Rest In Peace dear Nick. We love you. ❤️#sugarbutterfamily," Bareilles also shared in an Instagram post, along with a black-and-white portrait of Cordero, who played Earl in the original 2016 cast of Waitress.

Sara Bareilles

Cordero, who also starred in Broadway productions of Rock of Ages and Bullets Over Broadway, for which he earned a Tony Award nomination, died at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, where he had been hospitalized for over 90 days due to complications of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

Kloots revealed in late March that her husband was in intensive care and “having a hard time breathing” after being diagnosed with pneumonia. Days later, the fitness trainer revealed that doctors determined he had the coronavirus and was put on a ventilator after a day in the ICU. He became unconscious March 31 and woke from a medically-induced coma on May 12.

Over the course of 13 weeks, the Tony Award-nominated star endured several difficulties during his hospitalization, including undergoing a leg amputation and procedures for a temporary pacemaker.

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He was light. Kind and gentle. Talented and humble. Funny and friendly. The best laugh. Sending so much love to the love warrior @amandakloots and little Elvis, and an immense hug to any one who is feeling the loss of this giant heart. Rest In Peace dear Nick. We love you. ❤️#sugarbutterfamily

A post shared by Sara Bareilles (@sarabareilles) on Jul 5, 2020 at 7:24pm PDT

RELATED: Nick Cordero's Best Friend Zach Braff Mourns His Death: 'I Have Honestly Never Known a Kinder Person'

In April, Bareilles and Jessie Mueller virtually gathered with their former costars, including Eric Anderson, Kimiko Glenn, Keala Settle and Jenna Ushkowitz, to sing a cover of Cordero's song "Live Your Life," which became an anthem for fans to show their support by singing and dancing to his single.

Also featured with the group were Fran Curry, Charity Angel Dawson, Christopher Fitzgerald, Becky Fleming, Thomas Gates, Drew Gehling, Henry Gottfried, Molly Hager, Aisha Jackson and Molly Jobe as well as Claire Kean, McKenna Kean, Max Kumangai, Dakin Matthews, Adele Miskie, Jodie Moore, Jeremy Morse, Jenny Pendergraft, Ragan Pharris, Marisha Ploski, Tom Sharkey, Anita Shastri, Phil Stoehr, Stephanie Torns, Ryan Vasquez and Ricky Jay Yates.

On Sunday, after news of Cordero's death was made public, Ushkowitz tweeted: "Devastated."

Glenn, who played Dawn Pinkett in the 2016 production, shared tributes to costar Cordero on Instagram. "In disbelief. You deserved to live a long life, to watch your son grow, to live out your dream of being a rockstar. You were a rockstar. You fought so hard, overcame so much, you survived 44 days in a coma, 95 days in the ICU, the loss of a limb and everything in between, but the angels had to grant you relief. My heart is broken for your family and everyone that knew you. You were so loved. I only wonderful memories of you, Nick Cordero. Rest In Peace, sweet man," she wrote on her Instagram Story.

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I am so lucky to have known you. I remember how much your spontaneous energy made me laugh, how the day Prince died you came into our dressing room in silence and I felt your big beautiful heart breaking. Now my heart breaks for you and your family. Nick passed this morning after a long fight with coronavirus. He was 41, and had no pre-existing conditions. He was young, strong and healthy. As the world gets tired of mask-wearing and social distancing measures, I urge you to remember his story. He spent a month and a half in a coma, lost his leg due to clotting, and was too weak to talk for 95 days. He was the last person I would expect to suffer in such a way. He was a gentle giant and an absolute legend. Please send all your strength to his family, his incredible wife @amandakloots & their 1-year old boy, Elvis. His spirit will live on through you, little man. Rest In Peace, Nick. You will always be remembered.

A post shared by Kimiko Glenn (@kimikoglenn) on Jul 5, 2020 at 8:23pm PDT

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Nick made work fun every day. I wrote an email to @amandakloots the day he was admitted to the hospital while it was pouring rain. I’ll never forget it. I wrote the last line and looked up to see a giant rainbow above the Hudson. I’ll miss you always my friend. I’m lucky to have known you. I’m certainly better for it. Your son Elvis has a world of people with stories to tell and I can’t wait to pass on a few.

A post shared by Drew Gehling (@drewgehling) on Jul 5, 2020 at 7:06pm PDT

In support of Cordero's family, a GoFundMe page was created to raise funds for his medical bills.

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