Throughout the three months he was hospitalized with Covid-19 complications, thousands who had never even met the Broadway actor or saw him on stage posted encouraging messages and videos on social media, singing songs he performed as they rallied to support Cordero.
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Those same people are now mourning with Kloots after she announced Sunday that her husband had died, more than 90 days after he first entered the ICU at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.
Cordero was 41.
His resilience -- and Kloots' seemingly endless reserve of positivity and faith -- were inspirational to many.
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Loved ones mourn death of Broadway star Nick Cordero
Kloots, in turn, leaned into the love she and Cordero received from followers, asking people to play the song "Got a Lot O' Livin' To Do" by Elvis Presley.
Kloots wrote on Instagram that she had played it for her husband over Facetime and a nurse attending to him said Cordero's blood pressure went down after he heard the song.
That helped kick off weeks of singing and dancing videos from those wanting to show their support for the entertainer who was nominated for a Tony in 2014 for his role in "Bullets Over Broadway."
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Cordero had been performing in "Rock of Ages" prior to falling ill and songs from that show became a favorite of those who participated in the #WakeUpNick movement.
His wife shared many of the joyful videos on her Instagram stories, along with memories of her life with Cordero and their now 1-year-old son, Elvis.
Cordero's song "Live Your Life" became a theme among supporters.
When Kloots announced that Cordero had come out of his medical induced coma in May, she did so with a hearty, "We did it!."
Kloots was equally transparent when things weren't going well, writing in a post on June 25 "Is this defeating? Sometimes it is, I won't lie."
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"I wish I would walk into his room and he was able to give me a big smile and hold my hand," Kloots wrote. "But instead of feeling defeated, I turn to feeling determined! I give him any and all energy I can."
In announcing her husband's death, Kloots offered her gratitude for the love that flowed from around the world.
"You have no idea how much you lifted my spirits at 3pm everyday as the world sang Nicks song, Live Your Life. We sang it to him today, holding his hands," she wrote. "As I sang the last line to him, 'they'll give you hell but don't you light them kill your light not without a fight. Live your life,' I smiled because he definitely put up a fight. I will love you forever and always my sweet man."