An actor known for his role as Simba in Broadway’s “The Lion King” died last week.
Andile Gumbi, a South African actor who made his Broadway debut as Simba in 2012, died Oct. 25, at the age of 36, according to a Broadway World report. Gumbi suffered cardiac arrest in Israel on Oct. 16, which left him in a coma for several days.
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He appeared as Simba in the Broadway production from Aug. 28, 2012, through Aug. 25, 2013, playing the role during the Tony-winning musical's 15th anniversary, according to Broadway.com. He would eventually become the face of the international versions of the show, appearing in “The Lion King” productions in London, Sydney, Melbourne, Shanghai and South Africa.
At that time of his run, Gumbi told Broadway.com in an interview, "I know I'm good at what I do, but I start to think maybe Broadway is too far; maybe I could never make it there. It's the pinnacle of the theater industry! So when it happened, it was the realization of a dream, but something I wasn't sure would happen for me."
At the time of his death, Gumbi was playing King Nebuchadnezzar in a production called “Daniel the Musical” at the Jerusalem Theatre, according to theater news website Theatre Mania.
A native of Durban, South Africa, Gumbi also performed in productions of “Dance Through Me” and “Lalela.”
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