Broadway actor and singer Quentin Oliver Lee has died at age 34 following a battle with colon cancer, his wife shared on Thursday.
“Quentin passed in the wee hours of the morning,” wrote Lee’s wife, Angie, via the late actor’s Instagram page. “It was the most beautiful moment of my life. I saw his last breaths, held his hand tight, and felt his heartbeat slowly drift away. He had a smile on his face, and was surrounded by those he loves. It was peaceful, and perfect.”
As reported by Deadline, Lee, a New Yorker, was just months removed from appearing in the Tony Award-nominated Broadway musical “Caroline, or Change,” which ran from October 2021 through January of this year. In 2022, he also appeared in the acclaimed production “Oratorio for Living Things,” which won a Lortel Award for off-Broadway theater shows.
The actor was known for his leading role in the 2017 national tour of “The Phantom of the Opera,” and his other credits include “Prince of Broadway” and “Porgy and Bess,” according to Deadline.
Lee revealed the news of his colon cancer diagnosis in June via Instagram, writing to his supporters: “This year has been a wild ride, I got a chance (to) work with some incredible people at the TONY nominated ‘Caroline or Change’ musical, debut a sold-out Lortel Winner off-Broadway masterpiece, ‘Oratorio for Living Things,’ and was diagnosed with stage 4 Colon Cancer,” he said, directing supporters toward a link to hear more about his diagnosis.
Several of Lee’s friends and colleagues within the performing arts world convened on Oct. 10 at New York dinner club 54 Below for a fundraiser in his honor. Attendees included Broadway actress and “Caroline or Change” star Cicily Daniels, as well as Tamar Greene, who starred as George Washington in Lin Manuel-Miranda’s Broadway production “Hamilton.”
A GoFundMe for Lee currently sits at over $51,000 in donations.
“He was an incredible man, husband, father, son, brother, friend, singer, actor, and disciple of Christ with great faith in his Father in Heaven. To say ‘he will be dearly missed’ doesn’t reflect the scope of the people and communities he has created and touched,” Angie wrote via Instagram.
He is survived by his wife Angie and his daughter Samantha, as reported by Deadline.
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