The 41-year-old Broadway actor, who had admirers across the world rooting for his recovery, battled the disease for 95 days, his wife says
He was 41.
Kloots has been regularly updating her social media accounts with news of her husband’s ups and downs as he battled the virus and complications, including an amputated leg. She said Cordero battled the disease for 95 days.
Born in Canada, Cordero grew up in Hamilton, Ontario, and eventually made his way to the Big Apple.
In 2014 he was nominated for a Tony Award and a Drama Desk Award his role in “Bullets Over Broadway,” a role that earned him a Theatre World Award and Outer Critics Circle Award.
Cordero originated the role of the husband, Earl, in the Broadway production of “Waitress,” as well as the role of Sonny in the musical version of Chazz Palminteri’s “A Bronx Tale.”
He also found success on the small screen, making appearances in episodes of “Blue Bloods,” “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” and “Lilyhammer.”
Cordero and Kloots, a fitness trainer, relocated to Los Angeles, where he starred in the musical “Rock of Ages” in 2019.
He met Kloots, a former Broadway dancer, when they were both performing in “Bullets over Broadway” and they married in 2017.
According to Kloots, Cordero was initially hospitalized in March at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.
He spent weeks unconscious, even as doctors brought him out of sedation, and the hashtag campaign #WakeUpNick sprung up on social media to support Cordero as he recovered.
“Even closing his eyes, takes it out of him,” she said. “They’re waiting for him to regain strength, of course, time and recovery will help with that and then eventually PT will help him get stronger.”
Earlier in the month she had said her husband had a low blood count but was not bleeding internally.
Yet on another front the news was not great.
“However, we did learn that due to COVID Nick’s lungs are severely damaged,” she said. “To look almost like he’s been a smoker for 50 years they said. They are that damaged.”
“That is most likely the possibility,” she said. “A 99% chance that he would be needing that in order to live the kind of life that I know my husband would want to live.”
In addition to Kloots, Cordero is survived by their 1-year-old son, Elvis.
CNN’s Hollie Silverman contributed to this report.
