New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Kyle Jean-Baptiste, who had just finished his run as Jean Valjean in Broadway's Les Misérables, has died at the young age of 21.
He died just after he left "Les Miz" to join the cast of the upcoming production of "The Color Purple" starring Jennifer Hudson, where Jean-Baptiste was to understudy the male lead.
'We send our deepest condolences to his family and ask that you respect their privacy in this unimaginably hard time, ' the representative added.
Members of the Broadway community, including Kristin Chenoweth, shared notes about Jean-Baptiste after learning of his death. "RIP Kyle Jean-Baptiste. My love and hugs to his family. And the cast of @LesMiserables," she wrote. Josh Groban also tweeted, writing, "He was just getting started. So sad. My condolences as well to family and cast."
See Jean-Baptiste sing "Bring Him Home" in his first performance as Jean Valjean.