A posthumous album from Nick Cordero, the Broadway star who died after spending more than 90 days in a hospital fighting the coronavirus, will be released on what would have been the performer's 42nd birthday, according to his wife.
"Nick would be absolutely thrilled to hear this news," Amanda Kloots wrote in an Instagram post Wednesday. "I’ve never seen my husband work so hard on something and be so nervous to perform."
The album, titled "Live Your Life," will include recordings from the Tony-nominated actor's cabaret performance at Feinstein's/54 Below, a restaurant in New York City owned by Broadway producers Steve Baruch, Richard Frankel, Marc Routh and Tom Viertel. In addition to Cordero's original songs, which Kloots said he "created from scratch," the album will also feature collaborations with other artists, including Kathryn Gallagher, Sara Chase and Zach Braff.
"I was so proud of him and absolutely loved watching him onstage these two nights," Kloots wrote. "He created this show from scratch, choosing songs to tell a story... his story. "
Cordero went to an emergency room with symptoms of the virus on March 30 and was placed on a ventilator two days later. He had no known pre-existing conditions, Kloots has said, but he developed an infection that caused two mini-strokes and septic shock. Doctors placed Cordero in a medically induced coma and amputated his right leg as part of his coronavirus treatment.
Kloots gave frequent updates on Cordero's condition leading up to the actor's death of July 5.
Cordero was known for his acting in shows "A Bronx Tale" and "Waitress." He met Kloots at "Bullets Over Broadway," the performance for which he was nominated for a Tony Award. Kloots and Cordero married in 2017 and were raising their one-year-old son, Elvis, together.
"Live Your Life" will be released Sept. 17.
