Kyle Birch, a British theater actor who starred in “A Strange Loop” and “The Color Purple,” amongst different hit musicals, died Monday on the age of 26.
Birch’s dying was confirmed by his agent, Russell Smith, in a social media publish on Wednesday. As of Friday afternoon, a explanation for dying had not been publicly confirmed.
“I am heartbroken to announce that my dear friend and client, Kyle Birch, passed away on the evening of Monday, December 2, 2024,” Smith wrote on X, previously Twitter.
He described Birch as a “truly remarkable talent” with a “soulful, powerful, and deeply resonant” voice.
“His passing leaves an unfillable void in the lives of all who knew him and in the hearts of those who admired his artistry,” Smith wrote. “Kyle was more than a client or a performer ― he was a light in our lives, a cherished friend, and a singular talent. There was only one Kyle.”
His publish additionally directed followers to an internet fundraiser for Birch’s funeral bills.
“Kyle had the most infectious energy that will shine bright forever,” Alice Catherine Subject, a buddy of Birch’s who launched the fundraiser, wrote.
A 2020 graduate of the London Faculty of Music, Birch was thought-about a rising star in British musical theater. He landed his first main function in 2022, when he joined the touring firm of “The Color Purple.” His final look on the London stage was in a manufacturing of the comedy “I’m Gonna Marry You Tobey Maguire” on the Southwark Playhouse.
To many theatergoers, nevertheless, he’ll be greatest remembered for his starring efficiency in “A Strange Loop” on London’s West Finish final yr. The Tony- and Pulitzer Prize-winning musical follows Usher, a New York man who aspires to put in writing a present impressed by his personal “fat, Black, queer” life.
Eamonn M. McCormack through Getty Photos
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Alongside the best way, the character grapples with issues of sexuality, identification and physique picture whereas interacting with six summary characters representing his internal ideas.
“He manages to convey all of the conflict and difficulties that Usher is going through without coming across as self indulgent,” wrote one reviewer of Birch, who stepped into the main function after authentic star Kyle Ramar Freeman departed the manufacturing.
Talking to the U.Okay.’s Tresa journal in 2021, Birch described his love of performing and the challenges of launching an performing and singing profession in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“When I was younger I was bought a karaoke machine and I fell in love with it! I would sing along to all the songs and put on performances for my family whenever I could!” he recalled. “It wasn’t until secondary school where I went on a school trip to see ‘Wicked’ that I fell in love with musical theater and realized that I wanted to pursue that as a career!”
“I can’t wait to just go to the theater, hear the orchestra warming up and be transported into another world for two-and-a-half hours,” he instructed the journal. “To me, there’s nothing quite like theater, it’s so special!”
