Nick Cordero and wife Amanda Kloots. Photo / Instagram
Nick Cordero and wife Amanda Kloots. Photo / Instagram
Broadway actor Nick Cordero's widow has given the public a moving look at what the last 95 days were like for her family, as her husband battled the deadly coronavirus which eventually claimed his life.
Cordero's gruelling battle with the virus came to an end this week, with his wifeAmanda Kloots making the sad announcement yesterday that he had died, aged 41, more than three months after being admitted to hospital.
Cordero faced horrific complications including having a leg amputated, suffering a lung infection and being fitted with a temporary pacemaker. He lost more than 27kg as he battled the illness.
In a moving new post to her Instagram account, Kloots shared an 11-minute video her sister had made for her, showing some of the moments of happiness and normality the family was able to find over the past three months.
"I have always been lucky to have a family that loves to be together and to support each other. I'm even luckier to have Nick's family and extended family that are the same. This video captures these last 95 days. The love, the exhaustion, the bonds, the smiles, the song, the exercise, the hard work, the care, support and most of all love. They did all of this for Nick, Elvis and I – selfless time from their lives to be with us."
Cordero and Kloots' 1-year-old son, Elvis, features throughout the video, while Cordero himself is not seen.
A GoFundMe originally set up for the family in April with a $400,000 target was sitting at $618,000 at the time of Cordero's death yesterday – it's now grown to almost $870,000.
Cordero is best known for starring in the 2014 musical "Bullets Over Broadway" in the role of Cheech, for which he was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical and the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical.
Entertainment industry figures are continuing to post tributes for the actor, whose gruelling coronavirus battle made headlines around the world these past few months:
If you are able. There are broken hearts tonight.
Fundraiser for Amanda Kloots by Erin Silver : Support Amanda Kloots Nick Cordero & Elvis https://t.co/aMyPrNXESc
I send my love to Amanda Kloots and Elvis on their unthinkable loss. My heart breaks for Nick Cordero’s family and friends. @Amandakloots, your strength through Nick’s struggle with COVID-19 has been inspiring. You are in my heart today.
I'm lucky enough to have never missed a Nick Cordero bway role. I got to see him as Dennis, Cheech, Earl, and Sonny, and I always loved seeing him on stage. For such gruff parts, he was in reality a sweet man, well-loved by his colleagues & certainly by his fam. Sad to hear. RIP.
This one got to me. My wife and I have been following the progression of Cordero's illness over the many weeks of suffering for him and for his family, including a leg amputation. I urge everyone who says this disease is nothing to step back and think. https://t.co/dpSuIoxAxh
In what was to become Cordero's final Instagram post, the actor wrote back on March 20 – just days before his admission to intensive care – that he was "counting his blessings".
"This one is top of the list," he said, referring to his wife. "To say I'm thankful for her is the greatest understatement. She only spreads love in the world and does her best to make it a better place."
