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Les Mis Broadway Star Dies In Fire Escape Fall

Les Mis Broadway Star Dies In Fire Escape Fall

The first African-American actor to ever play the lead on Broadway in Les Miserables has died at 21.

Kyle Jean-Baptiste, also the youngest to take on the role, died on Friday night after falling from his mother's fire escape, officials said.

Les Miserables theatre company said it was "shocked and devastated by the sudden and tragic loss of Kyle, a remarkable young talent and tremendous person who made magic - and history - in his Broadway debut".

"We send our deepest condolences to his family and ask that you respect their privacy in this unimaginably difficult time," it said in a statement.

According to police, he was sitting on a fourth-floor fire escape of an apartment in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighbourhood of Brooklyn with a 23-year-old woman when he stood up, slipped and then fell backward to the ground.

Some reports said he had fallen from the fire escape of his mother's house.

Jean-Baptiste was an understudy for the Valjean role but finally made his history-making debut as the ex-con - played by Hugh Jackman in the film version - on 23 July.

He said playing the part "was my dream since I was a little boy".

On 25 August, he tweeted that the experience had been "life changing".

"I thank everyone who supported me and still does. I will never forget this experience. Onwards and upwards ;). Nothing but love," he added.

Broadway performers took to Twitter to mourn the loss of the young actor.

Former Glee star Matthew Morrison, starring in Finding Neverland, called him "such a pure voice. Heartbreaking."

A spokeswoman for the New York Police Department said Jean-Baptiste's death appeared to be accidental.

Jean-Baptiste was born in New York and Les Miserables was his Broadway debut, following his graduation from Baldwin Wallace University.