Broadway actress and singer dies at 59

Broadway actress and singer Rebecca Luker, identified for her roles in “The Top secret Backyard garden” and “The Audio Man,” died Wednesday at age 59.

Her longtime buddy David Staller verified her death to United states of america These days on the family’s behalf.

Luker died from problems stemming from ALS. The New York Occasions was the first to report the news of her demise.

Luker, a soprano, was nominated for three Tony Awards, including “Show Boat” in 1995 “The New music Male” in 2000 and “Mary Poppins” in 2007. She also starred in a Broadway revival of “The Sound of Music” in 1998.

Luker manufactured her Broadway debut in “The Phantom of the Opera,” according to the Times, the place she took on the guide part of Christine in 1989. She started out as the understudy to unique actress Sarah Brightman and later on served as her alternate.

She announced her ALS analysis in February, experiences the Situations.

ALS is quick for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and also acknowledged as Lou Gehrig’s illness. As quite a few as 30,000 men and women in the U.S. have it, in accordance to Johns Hopkins. On a yearly basis, 5,000 new instances are identified.

She is survived by actor partner Danny Burstein and two stepsons, in accordance to the Situations.

Broadway actors shared memories of Luker on Twitter.