Broadway mourns 13-year-old Jewish star Laurel Griggs
The girl was at home doing homework when she suffered from a massive asthma attack. Her organs were donated "so that another child may live," her grandfather David Rivlin said.
By ROSSELLA TERCATINBroadway billboards in New York City's Times Square(photo credit: BROADWAY TOUR/FLICKR)
Many US theaterical personalities have expressed their sorrow at the death of 13-year-old Jewish actress Laurel Griggs, who passed away earlier this month. "Laurel was one of the first children we cast in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. She had a wonderful energy and spirit and was loved by the entire company," Tony Award-winning director Rob Ashford told The New York Times. The 13-year-old was at home doing homework when she suffered from a massive asthma attack, CBS reported. She passed away shortly after at Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan, following a cardiac arrest. According to the entertainment tabloid TMZ, the family sat an intimate shiva, the Jewish period of mourning, at her aunt's home. "As my week of mourning the loss of my granddaughter, Laurel Griggs, comes to a close, I want to thank the hundreds of people from around the world who have sent us condolences that have helped ease the pain of our loss," her grandfather David Rivlin posted on Facebook Thursday. "By sharing her remarkable life, I hope that it will open the eyes to the world of how dangerous asthma can be if not treated positively and maybe save some lives. Her parents, Elizabeth and Andy, have generously donated her organs so that another child may live," he added. Griggs made her debut in Tennessee William's masterpiece at the age of 6. In 2013-2014, she also starred for 17 consecutive months in the musical "Once," which the previous year had received a Tony Award. "In the spirit of the role of Ivanka (a sweet, innocent and happy child), Laurel had those wonderful qualities while on stage as well as back stage, which were a positive part of the love and good feeling that the show Once seemed to create among all those who worked in and on the show," executive producer Robert Cole told the NYT. The girl appeared several times on Saturday Night Live. She was also involved in Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. Her family indicated that memorial donations should be directed to the organization, according to the Times.
