Four Seasons member

Tommy DeVito, one of the smooth harmonizing founding members of legendary doo-wop group The Four Seasons, died from complications of the coronavirus. He was 92.

Actor Alfred Nittoli (“Casino”) confirmed the baritone vocalist and lead guitarist’s passing Sept. 22 on Facebook.

DeVito, a native of Belleville, NJ, was hospitalized after contracting COVID-19, NJ.com reported.

DeVito began performing with Newark native Frankie in doo-wop crews such as The Variatones and The Four Lovers circa 1954. After co-founding The Four Seasons in 1960, the male vocalist crew cranked out a decade of chart-topping hits like “December 1963 (Oh, What a Night),” “Walk Like a Man,” “Big Girls Don’t Cry” and “Sherry.”

The Four Seasons were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990, and their origin story inspired 2005’s Tony-winning, smash-hit Broadway juke box musical “Jersey Boys,” which was later adapted as a feature film by director Clint Eastwood.

DeVito left the group in 1971.

Temptations singer

Bruce Williamson Jr., the lead singer of the Temptations, died from the coronavirus in his Las Vegas home Sept. 6. He was 49.

Williamson, who was not an original member, joined the Temptations in 2006 and sang with the group until 2015.

Williamson said his manager Dave Wallace introduced him to Ron Tyson of the Temptations, describing him as “the greatest singer he has ever heard.” He said Tyson groomed him for a decade, trying to get him into the group, but founding member Otis Williams was against it.

“Williams was initially against me joining the group, because he thought I was too big and too young,” he said.

Trini Lopez, 83

Actor and singer

Trini Lopez, a singer and guitarist who gained fame for his versions of “Lemon Tree” and “If I Had a Hammer” in the 1960s and took his talents to Hollywood, died August 11. He was 83.

Filmmaker P. David Ebersole, who just finished shooting a documentary on Lopez with Todd Hughes, confirmed that Lopez died from complications of COVID-19 at Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs, California.

Mentored by Buddy Holly and Frank Sinatra, Lopez became an international star while performing in English and Spanish. Unlike Mexican American singers such as Ritchie Valens, Lopez rejected advice to change his name and openly embraced his Mexican American heritage despite warnings it would hurt his career.

Presidential candidate

Former Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain died at the age of 74 after he was hospitalized with COVID-19, his family confirmed July 30.

“You’re never ready for the kind of news we are grappling with this morning. But we have no choice but to seek and find God’s strength and comfort to deal with it,” Cain’s family wrote in a statement published on his website. “Herman Cain – our boss, our friend, like a father to so many of us – has passed away. He’s entering the presence of the Savior he’s served as an associate minister at Antioch Baptist Church in Atlanta for, and preparing for his reward,” the continued.

The conservative businessman became ill after he contracted the the coronavirus earlier in the month.

Actor

Nick Cordero, the Broadway actor who appeared in popular musicals such as “Waitress” and “A Bronx Tale” and inspired the world with his months-long struggle against the coronavirus, has died, his wife, Amanda Kloots, said Sunday. He was 41.

“God has another angel in heaven now,” she wrote on Instagram. “My darling husband passed away this morning. He was surrounded in love by his family, singing and praying as he gently left this earth.”

Born in Ontario, Canada, Cordero moved to New York in 2008 and was cast in the rock musical “The Toxic Avenger” at George Street Playhouse in New Jersey, which later moved off-Broadway to New World Stages.

He went on to appear in “Rock of Ages,” and was Tony Award-nominated for his featured role as Cheech in the 2014 musical “Bullets Over Broadway.” He joined the cast of “Waitress” in 2016, and left to originate the role of Sonny in “A Bronx Tale: The Musical” later that year.

Singer-songwriter

John Prine died April 7 from complications related to coronavirus. The Grammy-winning folk and country singer-songwriter was 73. He had been hospitalized March 26 and placed on a ventilator two days later.

His family tweeted news about his critical condition on March 29: “This is hard news for us to share. But so many of you have loved and supported John over the years, we wanted to let you know, and give you the chance to send out more of that love and support now. And know that we love you, and John loves you.”

After his wife Fiona Whelan Prine, who was also his manager, tweeted the news of his illness, artists and fans from all over chimed in: “Sending our love to each of y’all. Hoping for the best,” said Jason Isbell; “We love you so much John,” said Margo Price; “goddamit if we lose john prine i swear to f--king GOD,” tweeted Patton Oswalt; “Sending blessings and every kind of good mojo we can conjure. We all love John Prine,” said the Drive-By Truckers; and Mark Hamill, who said, “Get Well Soon John!”

My Morning Jacket’s Jim James posted a moving cover of Prine’s “All the Best” on Instagram, saying, “I just wanted to send down some love to our brother, John Prine. We are so grateful for all the unbelievable music you’ve given us and all the fun we’ve had listening to music. I feel so blessed to have been able to play some music with you.”

Jazz singer and saxophonist

Manu Dibango, best known for his 1972 B-side hit “Soul Makossa,” died on March 24.

“It is with deep sadness that we announce the loss of Manu Dibango, our Papy Groove, who passed away on 24th of March 2020, at 86 years old, further to covid 19,” according to a statement on the jazz great’s official Facebook page. “His funeral service will be held in strict privacy, and a tribute to his memory will be organized when possible.”

A “world music” pioneer in the 1970s, Dibango was a leader in the Afro jazz movement and also fused funk with traditional music from Cameroon. His biggest hit was the B-side of a recording made to support the Cameroon soccer team in the Africa Cup of Nations, but it went on to score radio play by influential New York DJs.

The singer and saxophonist died in a hospital near Paris, his music publisher Thierry Durepaire told Agence France-Presse.

Actress and teacher

Lee Fierro, best-known as Alex Kintner’s mom in Steven Spielberg’s 1975 shark attack classic “Jaws,” died April 5. She was 91.

The actress was residing at an assisted living facility in Ohio when she died from COVID-19, the Martha’s Vineyard Times reports.

“The one word I would think of when I think of Lee is dedication. I’ve watched her as a performer, director and businesswoman and then we became friends. She was my teacher and mentor,” according to Kevin Ryan, artistic director and board president for Island Theatre Workshop, a program Fierro supported during her 40-plus years living on Martha’s Vineyard.

In her iconic scene from “Jaws,” an enraged Fierro confronts Chief Brody (Roy Scheider) and slaps him in the face.

“I just found out that a girl got killed here last week and you knew, you knew there was a shark out there. You knew it was dangerous, but you let people go swimming anyway,” her character says, sobbing. “You knew all those things and still my boy is dead now, and there’s nothing you can do about it. My boy is dead.”

Fierro went on to reprise her role in  1987’s subpar “Jaws: The Revenge” opposite Michael Caine.

During her time with the Island Theatre Workshop, Ryan estimates Fierro taught more than 1,000 students and directed over 100 live productions during her time as artistic director.

Fierro is survived by her five children, seven grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. A small service is planned by her family in Ohio with a memorial service in Martha’s Vineyard at a later date, Deadline reports.

Adam Schlesinger, 52

Musician

Adam Schlesinger, a member of Fountains of Wayne and songwriter, died April 1. He was 52.

The singer-songwriter for the acclaimed ’90s group known for the hit “Stacy’s Mom” died at a hospital in upstate New York, his lawyer Josh Grier said. The 51-year-old father of two received three Grammy awards for his songwriting credits on several television shows.

Schlesinger was also nominated for an Academy Award for penning the song behind the 1997 movie “That Thing You Do,” about a fictional one-hit wonder band from the 1960s. Tom Hanks, who directed the movie, tweeted about the musician: “Lost him to COVID-19,” Hanks wrote on Twitter. “Terribly sad today.”

Actor

Mark Blum, best known for playing opposite Madonna in the iconic 1985 film “Desperately Seeking Susan,” passed away March 26. He was 69.

The New Jersey native also co-starred in the 1986 hit “Crocodile Dundee,” followed by guest roles on a string of TV series, including “NYPD Blue,” “The Sopranos” and “The West Wing.” Most recently he appeared as bookseller Mr. Mooney on the Netflix cult hit “You.” He was also a veteran of the Broadway stage.

“With love and heavy hearts, Playwrights Horizons pays tribute to Mark Blum, a dear longtime friend and a consummate artist who passed this week,” the theater company tweeted. “Thank you, Mark, for all you brought to our theater, and to theaters and audiences across the world. We will miss you.”

His “Desperately Seeking Susan” co-stars Rosanna Arquette and Madonna also shared their condolences via social media.

“I’m so deeply sad for his family and for his fans,” Arquette tweeted. “He was a wonderful actor and a very good and kind man. May you Rest In Peace and power mark. God bless you.”

Playwright

Terrence McNally, a prolific playwright whose love of opera and compassion for human frailties wove their way into many of his works, died March 24 in a Sarasota, Fla., hospital. He was 81, and had lived with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease for some time.

Starting out with 1965’s “And Things That Go Bump in the Night,” the St. Petersburg, Fla., native went on to win five Tony Awards in total, two of them back to back: for 1995’s comedy drama “Love! Valour! Compassion!” and the following year’s “Master Class,” in which Audra McDonald, 49, starred as a tormented opera student of a fictionalized diva Maria Callas. Tonys also went to his books for the musicals “Kiss of the Spider Woman” (1993) and “Ragtime” (1998).

“A huge part of me is gone,” said Chita Rivera, 87, who starred in McNally’s “The Rink,” “Kiss of the Spider Woman,” “The Dancer’s Life” and “The Visit,” in a statement. “He helped to make me who I am as a person ... Only God knows how much I will miss him.”

McNally is survived by his husband, Tom Kirdahy, 57, whom he wed in 2003 in Vermont.

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Chef

Floyd Cardoz, the man behind acclaimed NYC restaurants Tabla and Bombay Bread Bar, died March 25. The Mumbai, India-born chef was 59.

Cardoz was admitted to a New York hospital, according to a recent post on his Instagram account, following his return from a trip to India on March 8. He told his followers that a fever had prompted him to see a doctor. A statement on social media from his hospitality group, Hunger Inc., confirmed the news of his hospitalization March 17.

The Season 3 winner of “Top Chef Masters” made his name with the groundbreaking Tabla, opened in 1998, as one of the few Indian fine-dining establishments in NYC. In partnerships with Danny Meyer and Union Square Hospitality Group, the restaurant enjoyed an instant buzz after receiving three stars in the New York Times. Tabla closed in 2010 but remains one of the city’s most groundbreaking restaurants to this day, known especially for its bread.

He also worked with Meyer in opening North End Grill, then went on to open several other eateries in India and New York.

“Love you so much @floydcardoz,” Meyer tweeted.

Country singer

Country singer Joe Diffie, who had a string of hits in the 1990s with chart-topping ballads and honky-tonk singles like “Home” and “Pickup Man,” died March 29. He was 61.

Diffie announced two days prior that he had contracted the coronavirus, becoming the first country star to go public with such a diagnosis. Diffie’s publicist Scott Adkins confirmed that the singer died in Nashville, Tenn., due to complications from COVID-19.

The Tulsa, Okla., native was a member of the Grand Ole Opry for more than 25 years. His hits included “Honky Tonk Attitude,” “Prop Me Up Beside the Jukebox (If I Die),” “Bigger Than the Beatles” and “If the Devil Danced (In Empty Pockets).”

Diffie’s mid-’90s albums “Honkey Tonk Attitude” and “Third Rock From the Sun” went platinum and scored 18 top 10 singles — with five going all the way to No. 1 on the Billboard charts.

He is survived by his wife, Tara Terpening Diffie, and seven children from his four marriages.

Beloved Japanese comedian Ken Shimura died March 27, a week after contracting the coronavirus. He was 70. The Tokyo native was revered in his home country, where he is a household name and has been called “Japan’s Robin Williams.”

“He was popular among a wide range of generations and was the No. 1 source of pride for locals,” Minoru Hasegawa, 69, a fellow native of Shimura’s home city, told the Japan Times.

Shimura was hospitalized on March 20 after developing a fever and being diagnosed with pneumonia. He tested positive for the virus on March 23, becoming the first Japanese celebrity to announce his infection, and to pass from the disease.

Shimura was known for his parodies and slapstick comedy bits, including the “mustache dance,” and a song about his home city of Higashimurayama in western Tokyo. Following his high school graduation, he joined the well-known Japanese comedy group the Drifters in 1974. Among Japan’s best-known comedy troupes, the group had opened for the Beatles when they performed in Japan in 1966. The group’s surviving members were too shocked to yet issue statements regarding Shimura’s death.

“I am sure he was working hard with a sense of mission to deliver laughter to people,” a representative from Shimura’s agency says. “I don’t think he imagined he would die a death like this.”

The funnyman was set to run the Tokyo Olympic torch relay representing Higashimurayama in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics until they were postponed until next year.

Singer-songwriter

Alan Merrill, who co-wrote the Joan Jett banger “I Love Rock and Roll,” died March 29 at 69.

“I was given 2 minutes to say my goodbyes before I was rushed out,” his daughter Laura Merrill wrote in a heartbreaking Facebook post. “How could this be? I was just at his show a couple of weeks ago. I had just photographed his portrait for his new album. Texted with him earlier. He played down the ‘cold’ he thought he had. I’ve made a million jokes about the ‘Rona’ and how it’ll ‘getcha’… boy do I feel stupid.”

The Bronx-born rocker penned “I Love Rock and Roll” for his band The Arrows and recorded it in 1975 — but it became legendary when former Runaways frontwoman Jett covered it in 1982.

“I’ve just learned of the awful news that Alan Merrill has passed,” Jett, 61, tweeted Sunday. “My thoughts and love go to his family, friends and music community as a whole. I can still remember watching the Arrows on TV in London and being blown away by the song that screamed hit to me. With deep gratitude and sadness, wishing him a safe journey to the other side.”

Merrill is also survived by his wife, Joanna Lisanti, who took to Facebook to share the devastating details of the events leading up to his death.

Actor

“Star Wars” actor and dialect coach Andrew Jack died March 30 at Britain’s Surry Hospital, his agent confirmed. He was 76.

Jack starred in “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” and “The Last Jedi” as Resistance General Caluan Ematt. He also worked as a dialect coach on films such as “Solo: A Star Wars Story,” “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy, and many Marvel films, as well as the upcoming Batman movie starring Robert Pattinson.

His agent, Jill McCullough, confirmed his passing to the Evening Standard, saying that he passed in a hospital bed while his family was stuck in quarantine in Australia.

“Andrew lived on one of the oldest working houseboats on the Thames, he was fiercely independent but madly in love with his wife; also a dialect coach: Gabrielle Rogers,” said McCullough. “Andrew was full of life, he was tall and striking with flowing white hair. You wouldn’t miss him if he walked into a room.”

His wife later posted a tribute to Jack. Anthony Daniels, the actor behind the droid C-3PO, who also worked with Jack on “Star Wars,” also expressed his grief.

Jazz trumpeter

Wallace Roney, a trumpeter renowned for his interpretations of Miles Davis’ iconic jazz compositions, died at 59, his fiancée Dawn Felice Jones confirmed on April 1.

Roney passed at a hospital in Paterson, NJ, where he was admitted last week, the Guardian reports. The Grammy winner — a leader in a post-bop or fusion style — trained at Duke Ellington School of the Arts, Howard University and Berklee College of Music.

After working clubs in New York City, Roney was recruited by the Jazz Messengers, a famed hard bop band led by Art Blakey. He was later hired by Tony Williams, the drummer who played alongside Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter in Miles Davis’ second great quintet. Roney went on to perform with Ornette Coleman, Chick Corea, Pharoah Sanders and other jazz legends.

He is survived by two children, Barbara and Wallace Jr., from his marriage to late pianist Geri Allen.

Julie Bennett, known as the voice of Cindy Bear in “The Yogi Bear Show,” died March 31 at 88, her talent agent Mark Scroggs confirmed to Fox News.

Bennett passed away at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, having received her coronavirus diagnosis last week, according to Scroggs. She was best-known for her voice work, reprising her role as Cindy for several television shows based on Yogi Bear, including the 1988 TV movie “Yogi & the Invasion of the Space Bears.”

Most recently, Bennett lent her voice to “Garfield and Friends,” “Spider-Man: The Animated Series,” as well as a Spider-Man-themed video game released in 2000. Her live-action roles include appearances in the TV series “Moonlighting” and “Crossings.”

Bennett was born in Manhattan before her family relocated to Los Angeles when she was a child. After college, she returned to New York to appear in radio soap operas and TV dramas. In the 1990s, Bennett entered her second act as talent agent, representing clients under the pseudonym Marianne Daniels.

Designer

Legendary footwear designer Sergio Rossi died April 3. He was 84.

Rossi was hospitalized for a few days in Cesena, Italy, prior to his passing, according to Footwear News.

“Sergio Rossi was a master, and it is my great honor to have met him and gotten to present him the archive earlier this year. His vision and approach will remain our guide in the growth of the brand and the business,” Riccardo Sciutto, CEO of the Sergio Rossi Group, wrote on the brand’s Instagram account on Friday to announce the news.

“He loved women and was able to capture a woman’s femininity in a unique way, creating the perfect extension of a woman’s leg through his shoes. Our long and glorious history started from his incredible vision and we’ll remember his creativity forever.”

Countless celebrities wore Rossi’s sexy styles, including Rihanna, Taylor Swift, Paris Hilton, Priyanka Chopra, Kylie Jenner, Laura Dern, Ariana Grande and more. In March, the company announced that 100 percent of its online sales would go towards the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

Rossi is survived by his son Gianvito, who followed in his father’s footsteps with his own shoe brand.

Actor

Actor Jay Benedict, who appeared in “Aliens” and “The Dark Knight Rises,” died at 68.

“It is with profound sorrow that we must announce Jay’s death on the 4th of April due to complications arising from a COVID-19 infection,” reads an announcement on his  website. His agency, TSG, also shared the news “with great sadness,” saying, “Our thoughts are with his family.” No further details were given.

Benedict appeared in a number of major films, including roles as Newt’s father in James Cameron’s “Aliens,” and as “rich twit” in the final film of Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy, “The Dark Knight Rises.”

The California-born actor had moved to Europe as a child and conceded that he sounded “more English than American.” In the UK, he found fame in one of the biggest TV soaps, “Emmerdale,” as well as TV detective drama, “Foyle’s War,” and was married to actress Phoebe Scholfield.

His voice was as famous as his face, he conceded in his bio, having provided audio for documentaries, ads and video games.

“The irritatingly soothing voice requesting that you take your seat and switch off your mobile phone is quite probably him: so now you know who to blame,” his bio said of his voice-over work in announcements.

Allen Garfield, 80

Actor

Veteran actor Allen Garfield, a mainstay of 1970s films such as “The Conversation” and “Nashville,” has died of complications from coronavirus at 80.

Garfield’s sister, Lois Goorwitz, confirmed his death on Tuesday April 7 in Los Angeles. He had long lived in the Motion Picture Television Fund Home, a skilled nursing home for industry vets like him, where several staffers and some residents have tested positive for the virus.

The actor, who was born in New Jersey, studied under Lee Strasberg at the famed Actor’s Studio. He went on to appear in Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Conversation”; “The Candidate,” with Robert Redford; Robert Altman’s “Nashville”; Woody Allen’s “Bananas”; Billy Wilder’s “The Front Page”; William Friedkin’s “The Brink’s Job;” “Beverley Hills Cop II” and Richard Rush’s “The Stunt Man.”

Later in his career, he suffered several strokes. But he was remembered for his legacy in character-acting roles, playing high-energy, authentic personalities.

“Allen was the hardest-working actor, but nobody realizes that about him because he seems to be a natural,” said actress Marianna Hill, who starred with Garfield in 1988’s Chief Zabu.

Lee Konitz, 92

Musician

Legendary Jazz saxophonist Lee Konitz, died April 15 after contracting coronavirus. He was 92.

His family said the cause of death was complications from COVID-19 and pneumonia.

With over 75 years in the music biz, Konitz was most famous for working with Miles Davis on the 1949 and 1950 sessions for the album “Birth of the Cool.”

Steve Dalkowski, 80

Athlete

Steve Dalkowski, whose minor league baseball career inspired the creation of Nuke LaLoosh in the movie “Bull Durham,” died April 19 at age 80.

Dalkowski allegedly threw pitches faster than 100 mph, with some suggesting they approached as high as 125 mph. Then-retired Ted Williams, who attended a spring training batting practice with him in 1963, reportedly called his pitching the “fastest I ever saw.”

Ron Shelton. who was a minor league infielder with the Orioles from 1967-71, used the stories he heard about Dalkowski for the 1988 movie “Bull Durham,” which he wrote and directed.

Dalkowski had been in assisted living for 26 years because of alcoholic dementia. His sister, Patricia Cain, said before he became infected with the coronavirus he had several pre-existing conditions that became complicated by it.

Troy Sneed, 52

Gospel Singer

Gospel singer Troy Sneed died April 27 from complications with the coronavirus. He was 52.

Sneed, who was Grammy-nominated for his work on the Youth For Christ’s 1999 album “Higher,” worked with the Georgia Mass Choir early in his career. He appeared with the choir in the 1996 film “The Preacher’s Wife,” which starred Whitney Houston and Denzel Washington.

Sneed released seven solo albums, and his songs “Work It Out” and “My Heart Says Yes” peaked at No. 2 on Billboard’s gospel chart.

Fred the Godson, 35

Rapper

Fred the Godson died April 23 after contracting the coronavirus earlier this month. He was 35.

A prominent NYC rapper for more than a decade, he collaborated with artists Diddy, Meek Mill, Pusha T. and Jay Pharoah. Fred the Godson, whose real name is Frederick Thomas, was the father of two children with his wife, LeeAnn Jemmott.

Henry Grimes, 84

Jazz musician

Celebrated jazz musician Henry Grimes, 84, died April 15 of complications from the coronavirus.

Grimes, a bassist whose career spanned six decades, performed with jazz greats including Sonny Rollins, Don Cherry, Billy Higgins and Cecil Taylor in the 1950s. He then worked with McCoy Tyner, Albert Ayler and more in the 1960s, but faced financial problems in the late ’60s that forced him to sell his double bass.

After years in obscurity, he resurfaced — at age 67 — to perform at the 2003 Vision Festival in New York City. It was his first stage show in decades.

“I never gave up on music, not for a minute,” Grimes told For Bass Players Only in 2012. “You could say I was absent for a long time, but I always believed I would be back one day. I just couldn’t see the way to get there, but I knew it would happen.”

Noach Dear, 66

Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice

Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Noach Dear died April 19 following a battle with the coronavirus. He was 66.

Before he was elected to the Brooklyn Supreme Court in 2015, Dear served on the New York City Council 1983-2001, representing Midwood and parts of Borough Park and Bensonhurst.

He was remembered by numerous colleagues, including former Brooklyn state Assemblyman Dov Hikind, who called him “a champion, a friend and fighter for his people and all of his constituents,” and councilman Kalman Yeger, who represents Dear’s former district and tweeted that Dear was “compassionate, funny, pragmatic, always patient & loved people.”

Giuseppi Logan, 84

Jazz Musician

Jazz legend Giuseppi Logan, an icon in New York’s free jazz movement in the 1960s, died of the coronavirus on April 17. He was 84 and died at the Lawrence Care Center in Far Rockaway.

He worked with 1960s-era musicians including Archie Shepp, Pharoah Sanders and Bill Dixon and taught himself how to play numerous instruments, including alto and tenor saxophone, bass clarinet, flute, piano and Pakistani oboe. After that, though Logan vanished from the music industry, plagued by addiction and mental health issues.

He made a comeback in 2009 with a show at the Bowery Poetry Club and later recorded an album with François Grillot, Warren Smith and former collaborator Dave Burrell.

Robby Browne, 72

Broker, philanthropist and LGBTQ advocate

Corcoran Group broker Robby Browne, 72, died of coronavirus complications on April 11.

Browne, who also was a philanthropist and LGBTQ advocate, had a number of famous clients who became friends, including Uma Thurman, Alec Baldwin, Denzel Washington and Hilary Swank. From his homes at 25 Central Park West and in Bridgehampton, he hosted parties and charity events that drew the likes of Hillary Clinton, Martina Navratilova and more.

Browne, a onetime Studio 54 devotee, supported numerous charities including the Gay Men’s Health Crisis, GLAAD, SAGE and Toys for Tots.

“Robby was more than the model of a great real estate agent,” said Corcoran President and CEO Pam Liebman. “He was the model of a great human being.”

Theater founder and teacher

Wynn Handman, co-founder of the off-Broadway American Place Theatre, died of complications from the coronavirus on April 11. He was 97.

The non-profit theater, founded in 1963 with Michael Tolan and Sidney Lanier, drew a dazzling array of talent over the years, including Dustin Hoffman, Rául Juliá, Faye Dunaway, John Leguizamo, Robert De Niro, Morgan Freeman, Richard Gere, James Caan, Joel Grey, Michael Douglas and Olympia Dukakis, among others. APT also was a theatrical launching pad for writers like Sam Shepard, Steve Tesich, Emily Mann, Richard Nelson and Frank Chin.

As an acting teacher, Handman worked with students including Alec Baldwin, Mia Farrow, Allison Janney, Christopher Walken, Denzel Washington, Susan Lucci and Burt Reynolds.

A documentary on Handman, titled “It Takes A Lunatic” and directed by Billy Lyons, premiered at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival. It is currently streaming on Netflix.

Actress and producer

Actress and producer Hilary Heath, 74, died of complications from the coronavirus. Her godson, Alex Williams, shared a moving tribute to her on Facebook.

“We lost my wonderful Godmother Hilary Heath to Covid-19 last week,” Williams wrote. “Hilary had many careers, starting out as a screen and stage actress in the 1960s and 1970s, and then re-inventing herself as a producer in the 1990s, making films like Nil by Mouth (Gary Oldman) and An Awfully Big Adventure (Hugh Grant, Alan Rickman).”

Later in life, Williams said, she earned a master’s degree in psychology from Oxford and became an addiction counselor. “She worked at clinics all over the world, often for free, often with very deprived and distressed individuals, and she regarded this as her most valuable work by far,” Williams said. “She was a force of nature, and I can’t bear it that she is no longer with us.”

Magician and Las Vegas icon

Roy Uwe Ludwig Horn, half of the legendary Las Vegas act Siegfried & Roy, died May 8 from complications stemming from COVID-19.

“From the moment we met, I knew Roy and I, together, would change the world,” said his collaborator, Siegfried Fishbacher, in a statement. “There could be no Siegfried without Roy, and no Roy without Siegfried.”

The duo’s act blended magic and big cats since 1967, and they became superstars with their 14-year show at the Mirage theater, which started in 1989.

During a 2003 performance, a 7-year-old, 400-pound Siberian tiger named Mantecore attacked Roy, critically and permanently injuring his spine.

Horn tested positive for the coronavirus in late April.

Dream Street singer

Chris Trousdale, the former Dream Street member, died from coronavirus on June 2. He was 34.

The singer died in a Burbank, California hospital from complications associated with COVID-19, his family member said.

Trousdale joined the band in 1999 when he was around 13 years old, along with fellow members Jesse McCartney, Greg Raposo, Matt Ballinger and Frankie Galasso.