Zach Braff Says Nick Cordero's Final Request to Him Was to 'Look Out' for His Wife and Child
Zach Braff is determined to stay true to the promise he made Nick Cordero before the Broadway star's death.
On the latest episode of Braff's podcast Fake Doctors, Real Friends With Zach + Donald, which he co-hosts with Donald Faison, the Scrubs actor, 45, shared that the final text he received from Cordero, before he died from COVID-19 complications, related to his wife Amanda Kloots and 1-year-old son Elvis Eduardo.
"The last thing Nick texted me before he went unconscious was, I said, 'Is there anything I can do?' And he said, 'Please look out for Amanda and Elvis,' " Braff recalled.
"And I promised that I'm going to do that for the rest of my life," the actor said. "And I want to make him proud."
Walter McBride/FilmMagic Nick Cordero and Zach Braff
Cordero, who starred in Broadway productions of Waitress and Rock of Ages, and earned a Tony Award nomination for Bullets Over Broadway, died on Sunday at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, where he had been hospitalized for over 90 days due to complications of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
Ashley Becker Nick Cordero, Amanda Kloots, son Elvis
Braff, who was best friends with the late Broadway star, went on to say that he's intent on taking care of Cordero's family.
"There's so many people that love Amanda and Elvis and we're all going to be doing our part to help give this child an extraordinary life," Braff said. "He just started walking and he's just the cutest kid ever. He's so cute."
RELATED: Broadway Star Nick Cordero Dies at 41 After Over 90 Days in Hospital from Coronavirus Complications
On Sunday, Braff paid tribute to Cordero on Instagram after Kloots confirmed that her husband had died earlier that day.
"I have honestly never known a kinder person. But Covid doesn’t care about the purity of your soul, or the goodness in your heart," the actor said.
During his 13-week stay in the hospital, Cordero endured numerous difficulties while fighting for his life, including undergoing a leg amputation and procedures for a temporary pacemaker.
A post shared by Zach Braff (@zachbraff) on Jul 5, 2020 at 6:55pm PDT
RELATED: Sara Bareilles and Waitress Cast 'Brokenhearted' After Costar Nick Cordero's Death
In an April interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Braff said he was helping to care for Cordero's wife and son during his coronavirus battle.
"I'm very close to this because one of my best friends in the world, Nick Cordero, and his wife [Amanda Kloots] and baby have been living in my guest house for seven months as they were house-shopping in L.A. to make the move out here," Braff shared, adding that, at the time, Cordero had coronavirus "worse than anyone I've heard of who hasn't passed away."
In support of Cordero's family, a GoFundMe page was created to raise funds for his medical bills.
As information about the coronavirus pandemic rapidly changes, PEOPLE is committed to providing the most recent data in our coverage. Some of the information in this story may have changed after publication. For the latest on COVID-19, readers are encouraged to use online resources from CDC, WHO, and local public health departments. To help provide doctors and nurses on the front lines with life-saving medical resources, donate to Direct Relief here.
