The wife of late Broadway star Nick Cordero is sharing photo and video memories of her husband that she discovered on his cell phone following his death this week from the coronavirus.
Amanda Kloots wrote on her Instagram stories that she opened his phone for the first time since he had went into a coma in the spring to find 835 unread texts, as well as some other "gems" that he kept on his camera roll.
Cordero died this past Sunday from complications with the virus at age 41.
Kloots shared a couple photos of her husband with their son, Elvis, 1, as well as multiple clips of Cordero singing. Those included an image of Cordero with Elvis by the family's first car and a video of Cordero playfully singing about how you can make a song about anything. Another clip recorded March 25, a few days before Cordero went to the hospital, captured Kloots singing House of Pain’s “Jump Around” to Elvis.
The Instagram story concluded with a long video by Kloots, who remembered how she and Cordero dealt with a power blackout in New York City last summer. She also said other family members came together to share funny memories of Cordero at a recent meal.
“It was just a very nice way to end dinner, to laugh and to remember happy times and silly times with Nick. I think I’ve never grieved like this before. There’s a part of me that has been grieving already for three months, right?" she said.
"So a part of me is — I’m used to sleeping alone. And I’m used to not talking to him, and that all has sort of been my life for the last three months. So in a way, that is a normal thing. I think the thing that is really hard is that acknowledging that I won’t see him again or the things that he’s going to miss with Elvis.”
Kloots also said she had researched the stages of grief and isn’t sure if she’s reached any of them yet.
“I go in and out of complete shattered tears, not knowing what to do, feeling completely lost, to also feeling OK and strong,” she said.
Kloots also said she will one day share some details about Cordero’s last few hours before he died “because they were really beautiful.” She also thanked people for the outpouring of support she has received.
“I feel very loved and I feel like Nick is really loved and our little boy is very loved,” she said. “So one day at a time, and I’m letting myself feel all the feels and I’m letting myself cry when I need to and I’m letting myself just sit in silence if I need to.”
Kloots explained that she remembered Cordero’s password for his cell phone and was inundated with text messages that he had been received dating back to April.
“It has been a day of reflection, a day of just understanding. Nick was such a beautiful man. I kept saying that to him at the hospital. ‘You’re such a beautiful man. I love you so much.’ And I still do and will always.”