Gone, but never forgotten. As the coronavirus pandemic continues to spread around the globe, some celebrities have joined the thousands who have lost their lives to the novel illness.
Terrence McNally, a four-time Tony winner and legend within the Broadway community, passed away at age 81 after suffering from complications from COVID-19. The playwright had previously endured lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and survived the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s. Following the news of his passing, theatre stars rushed to honor the impressive legacy that McNally left behind.
“I have felt at a crippling loss for words when it comes to his recent passing due to the coronavirus,” Nathan Lane wrote in a touching tribute for TIME magazine in March. The Emmy winner had worked alongside McNally for 30 years and credited the writer’s mentorship with putting his name “on the map” in the industry. “He gave me some of the best and most important roles of my career and I will be forever in his debt,” Lane said.
One week after McNally’s passing the acting world mourned the loss of famed dialect coach and Star Wars star Andrew Jack. The actor succumbed to coronavirus two days after being diagnosed in England, while his wife, Gabrielle Rogers, remained under quarantine in Australia.
“We lost a man today,” Rogers tweeted on March 30. “He was in no pain, and he slipped away peacefully knowing that his family were all ‘with’ him. Take care out there, lovers x.”
Jack’s agent, Jill McCullough, later revealed to Us Weekly what she would miss most about working with the longtime actor. “He loved his work and was funny, charming and a joy to be around. He was a friend first and a client second, and I will miss doing silly voices and pissing around with him on set,” she said in a statement. “Dialect coaching isn’t just about being good at accents, you need to make your actors feel safe and confident, and Andrew’s actors adored him.”
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact families around the globe, with Johns Hopkins University reporting that more than 857,000 coronavirus cases have been confirmed worldwide. As of April 1, the CDC reports that over 3,500 people have died in the U.S. after contracting the novel illness.
Scroll down to see the stars who have lost their lives due to coronavirus.