Broadway actor Chris Peluso has died at the age of 40.
The stage star — best known for his roles in “Mamma Mia” and “Wicked” — died suddenly Aug. 15. The sad news was confirmed by his family to Playbill, but no cause of death has yet been 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 family member/alum, the loving, charismatic, and divinely gifted Chris Peluso,” Linda Goodrich, interim chair of the school’s musical theatre program penned on Instagram. “Our hearts go out 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.”
However, 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 such as “Funny Girl,” “Show Boat,” “Miss Saigon” and “The Woman in White.
The performer’s passing came months after it was announced that he was suffering from schizoaffective disorder.
The illness is categorized as a “mental health disorder that is defined as being a combination of schizophrenia symptoms, such as hallucinations or delusions, and mood disorder symptoms, such as depression or mania,” according to 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 in recent years.”
Contributions were paused two months later and over $25,000 was raised at the time. Peluso noted on the page that his treatment had concluded and was doing better.
“I’m able to hold down a job again and even began taping some auditions,” he wrote. “It’s going to be a life long process of going to therapy and working with doctors but I’m so much better than I was 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.”
