Current:Home > MyThe Lion King on Broadway Star Clifton Oliver Dead at 47-InfoLens
The Lion King on Broadway Star Clifton Oliver Dead at 47
View Date:2024-12-23 18:47:41
The Broadway community has lost a star.
Clifton Oliver, who appeared in the stage adaptation of The Lion King and other musicals, has died on Aug. 2, his sister Roxy Hall confirmed. He was 47 years old.
"My baby brother, Clifton Oliver, has had his final curtain call," Hall wrote on Facebook that day. "It was peaceful. His partner Richard, was singing to him the song Psalm 23 as he took his last breath this morning at 3:20 AM. He had a Gorgeous smile on his Beautiful face!! He went twirling into the afterlife ready to make his Grand Appearance as the Star of his Homecoming Celebration! My heart is sad, and overjoyed at the same time! I will miss him, but he is finally at peace!"
Hall noted she will remember her brother as someone who "brought so much life to this world" and to her life.
"He impacted the lives of people throughout the world as he showcased his amazing talent, kind soul, and loving spirit to EVERYONE he met!" she continued. "He will be missed, but never forgotten! He lives within all of us! As the song goes in one of his most prominent roles of Simba in the Lion King on Broadway, He Lives In Me!"
While Hall did not share Oliver's cause of death, she did note that he had recently been in the hospital.
"I will value my time with him the last six weeks of his life that I spent at his bedside in the hospital and then finally hospice," Hall concluded. "I was able to love on my baby brother, and I will always cherish the memories of having an honor and privilege to do just that! There will be more information to come, as we begin to plan the Celebration of Clifton Oliver!"
Following news of Oliver's death, The Lion King on Broadway paid tribute to the late actor.
"'Look at the stars. The great kings of the past look down on us from those stars,'" the official Instagram account wrote on Aug. 3, quoting the Disney movie while sharing a throwback photo of Oliver playing Simba. "Today, our Pride joins in remembering the legacy of the late Clifton Oliver, who shared his talents and light with audiences across Broadway, Las Vegas, and our North American tour from 2000-2011."
In honor of Oliver's legacy, the show noted a "dimming of the lights" will take place at the New Amsterdam Theatre in New York on Aug. 8.
Oliver was born in 1975 and grew up in Jacksonville, Fla.—where he attended the Douglas Anderson School of the Arts—before moving to New York in 2010 to pursue a career on Broadway, according to Playbill. In addition to starring in The Lion King, he was an understudy for the part of Fiyero in Wicked and played Benny in Lin-Manuel Miranda's In the Heights, which also featured Jordin Sparks.
Back in 2014, Oliver—who was also part of the national touring companies for Motown: the Musical and Dreamgirls—reflected on what starring in The Lion King meant to him.
"It's surreal to look at this pic & see how far I've come!" he wrote on Instagram at the time. "Thanks to Disney & everyone that ever believed in me enough to give me a chance! I am so blessed to do what I love to do!"
For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News AppveryGood! (262)
Related
- Republican Vos reelected as Wisconsin Assembly speaker despite losing seats, fights with Trump
- How Eva Mendes Supported Ryan Gosling Backstage at the 2024 Oscars
- I watched all 10 Oscar best picture nominees. 'Oppenheimer' will win, but here's what should.
- Back off, FTC. Suing to stop Kroger-Albertsons merger exemplifies bumbling bureaucracy.
- South Carolina lab recaptures 5 more escaped monkeys but 13 are still loose
- 15 Best-Selling Products on Amazon That Will Help You Adjust to Daylight Savings
- No. 1 South Carolina wins SEC Tournament over No. 8 LSU 79-72 in game marred by skirmish, ejections
- Vanity Fair and Saint Laurent toast ‘Oppenheimer’ at a historic home before Oscars
- Olivia Culpo Celebrates Christian McCaffrey's NFL Comeback Alongside Mother-in-Law
- Chris Jones re-signs with Chiefs on massive five-year contract ahead of NFL free agency
Ranking
- California voters reject measure that would have banned forced prison labor
- Josh Hartnett and Wife Tamsin Egerton Have a Rare Star-Studded Date Night at Pre-Oscars Party
- 2024 Oscars: You’ll Want to Hear Ariana Grande Raving About Wicked
- Oscars 2024 live: Will 'Oppenheimer' reign supreme? Host Jimmy Kimmel kicks off big night
- Nearly 80,000 pounds of Costco butter recalled for missing 'Contains Milk statement': FDA
- Katie Couric talks colon cancer awareness, breast cancer diagnosis and becoming a grandmother
- Taylor Swift fans insist bride keep autographed guitar, donate for wedding
- Nationwide review finds patchwork, ‘broken’ systems for resolving open records disputes
Recommendation
-
Maine dams face an uncertain future
-
Behind the scenes with the best supporting actor Oscar nominees ahead of the 2024 Academy Awards ceremony
-
Iowa's Caitlin Clark breaks Steph Curry's NCAA record for 3-pointers in a season
-
Princess Kate returns to Instagram in family photo, thanks supporters for 'kind wishes'
-
Florida Man Arrested for Cold Case Double Murder Almost 50 Years Later
-
You'll Crazy, Stupid, Love Emma Stone's Shell-Inspired 2024 Oscars Gown
-
70-foot sperm whale beached off Florida’s Gulf Coast
-
Who's hosting the 2024 Oscars tonight and who hosted past Academy Awards ceremonies?