Tony-nominated Broadway star Rebecca Luker dies at 59
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Soprano Rebecca Luker, a three-time Tony nominated actor who starred in some of the biggest Broadway hits of the past three decades, died Wednesday. She was 59
Her death was announced by her husband, veteran Broadway actor Danny Burstein, who said in a statement 'œour family is devastated. I have no words at this moment because I'm numb.'ť Luker went public in 2020 saying she had been diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease, also called ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
Luker was a best actress Tony nominee in 1995 playing Magnolia in 'œShowboat,'ť a best actress nominee in 2000 for playing Marian in 'œThe Music Man'ť opposite Craig Bierko, and a best featured actress nominee in 2007 as Winifred Banks in 'œMary Poppins.'ť
Tributes flooded social media, including from Broadway stars like Laura Benanti, who called Luker 'œhumble, loving and kind'ť with a 'œgolden voice" that would 'œwrap you in peace.'ť Seth Rudetsky said it was 'œa great loss for Broadway and the world.'ť Kristin Chenoweth tweeted that Luker was 'œone of the main reasons I wanted to be a soprano'ť and Bernadette Peters called her 'ťone of the most beautiful voices on Broadway and a lovely person."
Luker was known for staying with shows for extended runs. 'œYes, I'm the queen of long runs,'ť she told the Connecticut Post in 2011. 'œI don't know if I'm lucky or if it's a curse. But it's just how things have happened for me and it is mostly a good thing.'ť
In 2013 she appeared in an off-Broadway revival of Stephen Sondheim's 'œPassion.'ť In addition to many stage credits, Luker appeared on TV in 'œBoardwalk Empire'ť and 'œThe Good Wife'ť and in the 2012 film 'œNot Fade Away.'ť Her other off-Broadway credits include 'œDeath Takes a Holiday,'ť 'œIndian Blood'ť and 'œThe Vagina Monologues.'ť
Broadway stars Stephanie J. Block called Luker an 'œangel-faced and angel-spirited'ť and LaChanze took to Twitter to call Luker's death 'œa huge loss for the American theater.'ť Tony-winner Michael Cerveris said: 'œThere was no one more humble, more unexpectedly funny or more glorious when she sang.'ť
Luker and her husband starred in an episode of 'œLaw & Order: Special Victims Unit,'ť in which they played the parents of a transgender youngster killed in an accident after being bullied.
Luker was born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama, and received a bachelor's in music from the University of Montevallo, where she later was awarded an honorary doctorate.
Luker made her Broadway debut in 1988 in 'œThe Phantom of the Opera'ť first as an understudy to Sarah Brightman and then playing Christine opposite the legendary Michael Crawford. 'œI'll never forget it. It was an out-of-body experience. He was so kind, though, and I'll never forget that,'ť she told Playbill in 2016.
She had Broadway roles in the 'œThe Sound of Music'ť and as the original Lily in 'œThe Secret Garden.'ť She was a replacement in 'œNine'ť in 2003 opposite Antonio Banderas, 'œFun Home'ť in 2016 and in 'œRodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella'ť in 2013-14.
Her albums include 'œGreenwich Time,'ť 'œLeaving Home,'ť 'œAnything Goes: Rebecca Luker Sings Cole Porter'ť and 'œI Got Love: Songs of Jerome Kern,'ť featuring 14 classics ranging from 'œBill/Can't Help Loving That Man'ť to 'œMy Husband's First Wife.'ť She also paid tribute to the legendary Barbara Cook at the 2011 Kennedy Center Honors.
Her final stage role was playing a small-town minister's narrow-minded wife in a 2019 Kennedy Center production of 'œFootloose.'ť Her last performance was in June in a Zoom benefit performance, 'œAt Home With Rebecca Luker.'ť
In addition to her husband, Luker is survived by two stepsons, Alex and Zach.
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Mark Kennedy is at http://twitter.com/KennedyTwits