How did Kevin Clark die? Jack Black mourns 'School of Rock' co-star's death at 32: 'Beautiful soul'
Actor Kevin Clark, who rose to fame with the 2003 comedy 'School of Rock' has died at the age of 32. According to media reports, Clark was killed in a road accident in Chicago on Wednesday, May 26 at around 1:20 am. 'School of Rock' happens to be Clark's only acting credit, following the film he went on to become a musician. He was most recently involved with the band Jessie Bess and the Intentions, which had just hosted its first show last weekend. Clark is survived by his mother and sister.
Shortly after his death, Jack Black, who played the lead in the film mourned Clark in an Instagram post. "Devastating news. Kevin is gone. Way too soon. Beautiful soul. So many great memories. Heartbroken. Sending love to his family and the whole School of Rock community," Black said, along with two images of him and Clark. The first is a still from the film, and the second a more recent image.
READ MORE
How did Clark die?
According to media reports, Clark was hit by a driver while on his bicycle in Avendale. The Chicago police did not confirm the name of the individuals involved in the accident, but multiple outlets confirm that it was indeed Clark. According to PEOPLE, Clark was hit by a Hyundai Sonata at around 1:20 am and sustained "trauma throughout the body and was listed in critical condition".
Clark was taken to Illinois Masonic Medical Center but declared dead just after 2 am. The driver of the car was identified as a 20-year-old female and issued multiple citations, according to the police. It wasn't clear why Clark was biking in the area, but a friend told the Sun-Times that he was likely visiting friends in Northwest Chicago. A memorial has been planned for him at Teddy O’Brian’s pub in Highwood.
"You know, we’re all really in shock. It was just this morning," his mother Allison Clark told the Sun-Times. "He was just a 32-year-old kid. It doesn’t make sense. A lot of our jammer friends — mostly 65+ — have lost their lives recently. So hopefully he’s up there jamming in the sky with them."
Black wasn't the only one to mourn Clark. Rivkah Reyes, who played Katie in 'School of Rock' also paid tribute to her co-star on Twitter. "Love you forever, spaz. i will never forget your hugs and your laugh and the sheer joy on your face when we’d run into each other in Chicago. thank you for always showing up for me with that “big brother I never had” energy," she wrote.
love you forever, spaz. i will never forget your hugs and your laugh and the sheer joy on your face when we’d run into each other in chicago. thank you for always showing up for me with that “big brother I never had” energy. pic.twitter.com/aIjYUBn1iS
— rivkah reyes (@rivkahreyes) May 26, 2021
Clark landed the 'School of Rock' role at 12, without any prior acting experience. "He wasn’t an actor, wasn’t thinking about being an actor," his mother said. Following the hit film, he turned to music full time. He joined his high-school friend Robbie Gold in the Robbie Gold Band, as well as Dreadwolf and Funk it Let’s Jam. Along with music, Clark was also a music teacher at Libertyville, and also worked as a shift manager at Starbucks at Ashland and Irving.