‘School of Rock’ Star Kevin Clark Dead at 32

Kevin Clark, who starred in the hit 2003 film School of Rock, died in Chicago on Wednesday, according to multiple reports. He was 32 years old. Clark, a professional drummer, was riding his bike on the Northwest side of Chicago when a Hyundai Sonata struck him, police said. Clark was rushed to the hospital but was pronounced dead at 2:04 a.m. local time. The driver of the car, a 20-year-old woman, was not injured but was issued citations, police said to the Chicago Sun-Times.

Clark lived in the Chicago area and played in several bands, including Jessie Bess and the Intentions, which had its first live show on Saturday. Clark’s mother, Allison Clark said that her son “was a raw talent. He’s got a heart of gold.” Clark started playing drums at the age of 3, and Allison said he began by “hitting pots and pans in the basement.”

Clark played the role of Freddy “Spazzy” McGee in School of Rock, which was a commercial and critical success. The movie also stars Jack Black, Joan Cusack, Mike White and Sarah Silverman. Clark landed the role at age 12, and his mom talked about how he had no acting experience. “He just kind of shined,” Clark said of her son. “He took it on right away, but he never really acted afterward.”

In 2018, Black reunited with Clark to celebrate the 15th anniversary of School of Rock. At the time, Black was in Chicago as he was touring with his group Tenacious D, and Clark hung out with Black backstage. Another young star who was featured in School of Rock was Miranda Cosgrove who played Summer “Tinkerbell” Hathaway. Cosgrove went on to star in notable films and TV shows such as Drake & Josh and iCarly.

In a 2017 interview with Yahoo!, Cosgrove talked about reuniting with the cast. “We actually had a 10-year reunion not too long ago, and it was really fun getting to see everybody again. We’ve all grown up so much. It’s kind of crazy, because I made so many friends on the movie and I think we were all nine or 10, and now we’re all 24 or so. It was really fun getting to see everybody again.”