Little Women star Florence Pugh shared one of the last filmed performances of actor Nick Cordero, who died Sunday morning at age 41. Cordero fought coronavirus complications for three months, with his wife Amanda Kloots providing daily updates on his condition. He was hospitalized in March for pneumonia and later tested positive for COVID-19.
In her caption, Pugh called Cordero “one of the great ones,” adding that he has been hospitalized since March, “despite having no pre-existing conditions.” The video she included was filmed in April 2019 and shows Cordero singing “What A Wonderful World” and Coldplay’s “Politik.” He was “in his element,” Pugh wrote, adding, “On stage whilst commanding the entire audience so intensely, you could have heard a pin drop.” She noted it was “so shocking and devastating to see one of your own come down as hard as he did” and she often thought to herself what she and everyone else could to do help.
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“We still can. Help the world by continuing to take this virus seriously. Wear your mask, respect others’ space, clean your hands and please be safe. This is far from over,” Pugh wrote. “Nick, we love you to infinity and beyond. Rest In Peace you beautiful, beautiful man.”
Although the majority of Pugh’s followers shared their condolences, one Instagram user told her to “stop spreading propaganda” because “Covid doesn’t last 90 days there is zero evidence of that.” Pugh had a response ready. “I reckon you should think before you post something so horrid,” she replied. “Covid affects everyone completely differently. He was positive and then after a few weeks was negative. Despite being negative his body dealt with the horrible aftermath like many people suffering from this virus. Read. Learn. Help.”
Pugh’s boyfriend, Scrubs actor Zach Braff, was close friends with Cordero. The two starred on Broadway in Bullets Over Broadway, the production that earned Cordeor a Tony nomination. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Braff said Cordero, Kloots and their 1-year-old son Elvis were living in his guest house for the past seven months while they were looking for their own house in Los Angeles. Braff shared his own tribute to Cordero on Instagram and posted several photos with Cordero in his Instagram Story.
Braff said he has “honestly never known a kinder person” than Cordero. “But Covid doesn’t care about the purity of your soul, or the goodness in your heart,” Braff wrote. “The last thing he ever texted me was to look out for his wife and one-year-old son, Elvis. I promise the world they will never want for anything. I feel so incredibly grateful I got to have Nick Cordero enter my life.”