Rebecca Luker, Broadway Star and Tony nominee, has passed away

Rebecca Luker, a Broadway star for multiple decades and one of the best vocalists of her generation, has passed away. She was 59.

The death was confirmed by Sarah Fargo, her agent, to the New York Times. Ms. Luker announced in February that she had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, commonly known as A.L.S. or Lou Gehrig’s disease.

Ms. Luker's Broadway debut was in The Phantom of the Opera in the role of Christine. She was originally an understudy for principal actress Sarah Brightman and her alternate Patti Cohenour. Luker later took over the role after Brightman and Cohenour left the show.

From there, her career saw nothing but success. She would go one to be nominated for a Tony Award for her performances in Showboat, The Music Man, and Mary Poppins.

As of June 2020, she could still sing, as she hosted a live-streamed benefit for ALS, "At Home With Rebecca Luker.”

Ms. Luker was born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama, and received a Bachelor of Music degree as well as an honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts degree from the University of Montevallo. She is survived by her husband, Danny Burstein.