Child actor turned musician Kevin Clark has died after a fatal accident in his hometown of Chicago.
According to reports, the 32-year-old was riding his bicycle on Wednesday when he was struck by a vehicle. He was rushed to a hospital and was pronounced dead early in the morning.
The Cook County Medical Examiner confirmed the cause of death was blunt force injury caused by the motor vehicle and bicycle collision. Per the Chicago Sun-Times, the motorist was a 20-year-old woman who was issued citations by police following the accident.
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Kevin is best known for his role as Freddy Jones, aka “Spazzy McGee,” in 2003’s School of Rock. The Jack Black hit was Clark’s last acting gig, but interestingly enough it affected his whole life — instead of acting he continued his music career as a drummer!
According to his mother, Allison Clark, his newest band, Jessie Bess and the Intentions, had played its first show days before the fatal accident. She told the outlet:
“He told his bandmates just yesterday: You know, this is finally the life I want to live. And we’re going to make it. You’re my musical family — my family — and we’re all going to make it… He loved music. He’s just a raw talent. He’s got a heart of gold.”
His mother explained that Clark “wasn’t thinking about being an actor” before he landed the role at 12 years old, but a friend who played piano had recommended the pre-teen audition after seeing an ad in the local paper.
Kevin recalled the life-changing moment in a 2013 interview with 22 Vision, sharing that he auditioned for the film alongside Joey Gaydos Jr., who played guitarist Zack Mooneyham. He said:
“I went in there, said some lines, played on a little electric drum set, then I left, and my mom decided to talk, as she does, for a long time — God love her. Because Joey went in about 20 minutes after my audition and did the same thing with his lines, blew them away on guitar and then they came out.”
The casting directors asked the duo to come back in the audition room together to play Day Tripper by the Beatles and Iron Man by Black Sabbath. The pair must have blown them away, because both young musicians landed roles in the film.
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Rivkah Reyes, who played the bassist Katie, aka “Posh Spice,” in the hit flick, took to Twitter on Wednesday to pay tribute to her former castmate. Alongside a photo of the two of them on set, she wrote:
“love you forever, spaz. i will never forget your hugs and your laugh and the sheer joy on your face when we’d run into each other in chicago. thank you for always showing up for me with that “big brother I never had” energy.”
love you forever, spaz. i will never forget your hugs and your laugh and the sheer joy on your face when we’d run into each other in chicago. thank you for always showing up for me with that “big brother I never had” energy. pic.twitter.com/aIjYUBn1iS
— rivkah reyes (@rivkahreyes) May 26, 2021
RIP, Kevin. We hope he’s jamming in a better place.
[Image via Paramount Pictures/YouTube/Kevin Clark/Facebook.]
The post <i>School Of Rock</i> Alum Kevin Clark Dead At 32 In Tragic Accident appeared first on Perez Hilton.
