As friends and fans pay tribute to Broadway star Nick Cordero — who died on Sunday after a months-long battle with coronavirus — Zach Braff is sharing one of Cordero’s final requests.
“Nick Cordero passed at 11:40am today with his wife and mother by his side,” Braff wrote on Instagram, sharing a black and white photo of Cordero and his wife, Amanda Kloots. “I have honestly never known a kinder person. But Covid doesn’t care about the purity of your soul, or the goodness in your heart.”
Braff and Cordero starred together in Bullets Over Broadway in 2014 — which earned Cordero a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actor in a Musical and was where he first met Kloots. The pair wed in 2017 and welcomed a son, Elvis, in June 2019.
“The last thing he ever texted me was to look out for his wife and one year old son, Elvis,” Braff shared of his late friend. “I promise the world they will never want for anything. I feel so incredibly grateful I got to have Nick Cordero enter my life. Rest In Peace. Rest in Power.”
Kloots shared the heartbreaking news of her husband’s death on Instagram, writing, “God has another angel in heaven now. 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.”
“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.”
