TIME shares stories of the remarkable lives led by some of those lost to COVID-19
In an Instagram post, theactor John Boyega paid tribute to Jack, calling him “one of the most supportive people in our industry” and “a nurturer on set and the kind of person that was always up for an uplifting conversation.” —Al Pereira—Getty Images, I have felt at a crippling loss for words when it comes to his recent passing due to the coronavirus.
There are countless stories, just like mine, of young artists he has supported and mentored and given their first chance. He was a huge hero to the LGBTQ community, a groundbreaker and openly gay activist and writer way before it became fashionable, while he was also able to consistently reinvent himself in the theater, prolifically playing with new forms and telling us challenging stories of people trying to connect, to matter, in love and art.
Mercader, a native of New York City, started her career as a page at CBS News in 1987 and went on to work as a producer and talent executive at the company. She died March 29 at age 54 after contracting the coronavirus, CBS said. The company noted that Mercader had battled cancer and related illnesses for 20 years and “was an inspiration each time she returned to work after a setback threatened to end her life.” She was a proud survivor.
“We would joke that I’d survived one type of cancer and she’d survived all the others. And now we’ve lost her to this hideous virus,” CBS News National Correspondent Manuel Bojorquez tweeted on March 29. He offered condolences to her family and said the beloved colleague was “as inspiring and lovely as any human being could be.” —Brooklyn Democracy Academy/Instagram“She supported us through all our future endeavors, personal or professional,” former student Curtis Turney-Rentas, 27, tells TIME.
“Her work was dedicated to uplifting students,” Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams said in a statement provided to TIME. “Too many in our society have written off the young scholars under her stewardship, but where others saw problems she saw promise and potential … The loss of Principal Romain is particularly painful for the Brooklyn Democracy Academy family, our larger public school community, and a borough grateful for her service.
He did not know he would be part of it. Even so, when he first came down with symptoms, his impulse was to prioritize public health over his own and he resisted his family’s urging to go to the hospital as a patient. “[He] did not want to take up a hospital bed,” Dani said, “because others would need it.” By the time he finally relented, it was too late. He died on Mar. 31 at age 68, becoming one of several British medical professionals who died of COVID-19.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Opinion | The Many Ways the Coronavirus Crisis Has Changed Our LivesFrom WSJopinion: “Every college student in America feels as stranded as I do.” How students are coping with the coronavirus crisis
Read more »
Coronavirus anxiety has upended our lives, but take a moment to breathe
Read more »
'Here we go again': Detroit, still clawing back from financial crisis, reels as coronavirus claims livesDetroit has seen more deaths than larger cities like Los Angeles and Chicago, and some Detroiters say the city’s history makes the crisis feel more personal — and its consequences more severe.
Read more »
Coronavirus goes to court: After lives and livelihoods come the lawsuitsThe list of real and potential victims is long, from doctors, nurses and patients to employees and customers of businesses, both open and closed.
Read more »
'Here we go again': Detroit, a city on the brink of recovery, reels as coronavirus claims lives"It seems like one after another after another, and it&39;s just hitting close to home," one city leader said.
Read more »
‘This looks like operating in a war zone’: Italian doctor who treated Italy’s ‘Patient 1’ battles to save lives from coronavirus‘We lose almost 4 pounds every day after every shift,’ says Roberto Rizzardi, the doctor who has run the ER of Italy’s San Matteo hospital, in Pavia, for 25...
Read more »