Madonna Honors Desperately Seeking Susan Costar Mark Blum, Who Died from Coronavirus Complications
Madonna is mourning the loss of her Desperately Seeking Susan costar Mark Blum, who died due to complications associated with the novel coronavirus.
“I Want to Acknowledge the Passing of a remarkable Human, fellow actor and friend Mark Blum, who succumbed to Coronavirus,” the actress and singer, 61, wrote of her onscreen love interest in a touching social media tribute, shared alongside two stills from the film on Thursday.
“This is really tragic and my heart goes out to him, his family and his loved ones. I remember him as funny warm, loving and professional when we made Desperately Seeking Susan in 1985!!” she added.
As she concluded her post, Madonna wrote that Blum’s death at 69 is “another reminder that this virus is no joke, nothing to be casual about or pretend wont affect us in some way.”
“We need to stay grateful -be hopeful- help each other-and follow the quarantine rules!” she added.
Roy Rochlin/Getty Mark Blum
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News of Blum’s death was reported on Wednesday and later confirmed on Thursday by his representatives.
The character actor, who was born in New Jersey, began his career on the stage before taking on a series of notable film and television roles, although he remained a regular fixture on the New York City stage for the rest of his life.
His death was also mourned by many of his costars and collaborators, including Rosanna Arquette, another Desperately Seeking Susan costar. “I’m so deeply sad for his family and for his fans,” she wrote. “He was a wonderful actor and a very good and kind man. May you Rest In Peace and power mark. God bless you.”
Judith Light, who starred alongside Blum in the 2013 Broadway production of The Assembled Parties, his last Broadway credit, remembered their time together onstage as a “true joy.”
“Mark Blum, so generous, so kind, so humble, so talented. Our time together in the play The Assembled Parties at MTC was a true joy,” she wrote. “May he rest in peace knowing that he transformed the lives of so many and was cherished by so many; me among them.”
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Blum is survived by his wife, stage and screen actress Janet Zarish, also 69.
Since its outbreak, there have been at least 85,381 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the United States and 1,271 patients have died, according to a New York Times database. The majority of the cases have been reported in New York and New Jersey.
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