Hours after the Vegas premiere of the new Jersey Boys musical, and while the actors were still celebrating the rave reviews, actor John Altieri died. Altieri had been scheduled to play the role of record producer Bob Crewe in the Vegas production.

Luxe Life learned moments ago that he passed away on Sunday from complications brought on by pneumonia. He fell ill during early Vegas rehearsals and never got to perform the role he had been selected for.

“It’s a very sad moment for the cast,” I was told this afternoon. John Altieri, who was originally scheduled to be the Las Vegas company’s Bob Crewe passed away on Sunday and he never performed in the Las Vegas show.
 
Producer Michael David released a statement a short time ago: “The opening weekend for Jersey Boys in Las Vegas was wondrous for us all. That said, it was also bittersweet. On the day after our opening performance a beloved cast member passed away. John Altieri performed for fifteen months as Bob Crewe with the National Tour of Jersey Boys, then joined the Las Vegas company, where he fell ill some weeks ago while the show was in rehearsal. After a series of complications from pneumonia, he passed away May 4, 2008. It has left us stunned. Beloved, within the Jersey Boys family, he will be sorely missed by all.”

Actor John Salvatore, who has played Bob Crewe in every performance in Las Vegas continues in the role.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 6th, 2008 at 6:58 pm and is filed under Breaking News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.