Broadway actor Chris Peluso has died on the age of 40.
The stage star — best known for his roles in “Mamma Mia” and “Wicked” — passed away suddenly on Aug. 15.
The sad news was confirmed by his family to Playbill. No reason for death was revealed.
Peluso is survived by his wife Jessica Gomes, and their two children, Aria Li and Caio Lian.
His alma mater, the University of Michigan, shared an emotional tribute to the entertainer earlier this week.
“The Michigan Musical Theatre family is heartbroken as we announce the passing of our dear member of the family/alum, the loving, charismatic, and divinely gifted Chris Peluso,” Linda Goodrich, interim chair of the varsity’s musical theatre program penned on Instagram. “Our hearts exit to his family.”
Peluso had many stage acting credits to his name, including the Broadway productions of “Assassins,” “Lestat,” “The Glorious Ones” and “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical.”
Nevertheless, his biggest roles were as Sky in “Mamma Mia!” and Fiyero in “Wicked.
Peluso also traveled across the pond to London’s West End, where he appeared in plays similar to “Funny Girl,” “Show Boat,” “Miss Saigon” and “The Woman in White.
The performer’s passing got here months after it was announced that he was affected by schizoaffective disorder.
The illness is categorized as a “mental health disorder that’s defined as being a mix of schizophrenia symptoms, similar to hallucinations or delusions, and mood disorder symptoms, similar to depression or mania,” in accordance with the Mayo Clinic.
In September 2022, a GoFundMe page was created for Peluso that asked fans for donations for his mental wellness treatment.
The post mentioned that his diagnosis of schizoaffective disorder had “resulted in Chris experiencing debilitating paranoia, which has kept him from performing lately.”
Contributions were paused two months later and over $25,000 was raised on the time. Peluso noted on the page that his treatment had concluded and was doing higher.
“I’m capable of hold down a job again and even began taping some auditions,” he wrote. “It’s going to be a life long technique of going to therapy and dealing with doctors but I’m so significantly better than I used to be before treatment.”
He continued: “It really means the world to me to have such incredible support from you all. None of this progress would have been possible without you.”
