Current:Home > InvestThe Lion King on Broadway Star Clifton Oliver Dead at 47-Angel Dreamer Wealth Society D1 Reviews & Insights
The Lion King on Broadway Star Clifton Oliver Dead at 47
View Date:2024-12-23 18:59:18
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! (8846)
Related
- Todd Golden to continue as Florida basketball coach despite sexual harassment probe
- Tyreek Hill knee injury: What we know (and don't) about surgery mentioned in police footage
- What James Earl Jones had to say about love, respect and his extraordinary career
- Bachelorette’s Jenn Tran and Jonathon Johnson Address Relationship Speculation
- Jennifer Lopez Turns Wicked Premiere Into Family Outing With 16-Year-Old Emme
- Most students in a Georgia school district hit by a shooting will return to class Tuesday
- Most students in a Georgia school district hit by a shooting will return to class Tuesday
- 4 people killed after plane crashes in Vermont woods; officials use drone to find aircraft
- UConn, Kansas State among five women's college basketball games to watch this weekend
- 1 Day Left! Extra 25% Off Nordstrom Clearance + Up to 74% Off Madewell, Free People, Good American & More
Ranking
- Texas’ 90,000 DACA recipients can sign up for Affordable Care Act coverage — for now
- Bachelorette’s Jenn Tran Reveals She Reached Out to Ex Devin Strader After Tense Finale
- Travis Kelce Reacts to Jason Kelce’s ESPN Debut Exactly as a Brother Would
- Tyreek Hill knee injury: What we know (and don't) about surgery mentioned in police footage
- California farmers enjoy pistachio boom, with much of it headed to China
- Americans’ inflation-adjusted incomes rebounded to pre-pandemic levels last year
- Former Alabama corrections officer sentenced for drug smuggling
- The White Stripes sue Donald Trump for copyright infringement over 'Seven Nation Army'
Recommendation
-
Amazon Black Friday 2024 sales event will start Nov. 21: See some of the deals
-
Barrel Jeans Are the New Denim Trend -- Shop the Best Deals from Madewell, Target & More, Starting at $8
-
Jon Snow's sword, Jaime Lannister's golden hand among 'Game of Thrones' items up for grabs
-
Why Gabrielle Union Thinks She and Dwyane Wade Should Be Posting Farts After 10 Years of Marriage
-
Beyoncé nominated for album of the year at Grammys — again. Will she finally win?
-
Lala Kent Reveals Name of Baby No. 2
-
Jon Snow's sword, Jaime Lannister's golden hand among 'Game of Thrones' items up for grabs
-
Beyoncé talks music, whiskey, family — and why no 'Cowboy Carter' visuals — in GQ