Kevin Clark, who played Freddy “Spazzy McGee” Jones, the drummer in School of Rock, died on May 26. The Chicago Sun-Times reported that Clark, who was 32, was hit by a driver while biking on the Northwest Side around 1:20 a.m. and pronounced dead at a hospital at 2:04 a.m. Clark was 12 when he starred in School of Rock, the 2003 movie also starring Jack Black, Joan Cusack, and Miranda Cosgrove. Clark wasn’t an actor but a musician; he got his start by drumming on pots and pans at age 3, as his mother, Allison, told the Sun-Times. Allison Clark added that her son’s new band, Jessie Bess and the Intentions, had performed their first concert on May 22. “He’s just a raw talent,” she said. “He’s got a heart of gold.”
Update, May 27: Several of Clark’s School of Rock co-stars have paid tribute to the late musician. “Devastating news. Kevin is gone. Way too soon,” Black, who played substitute teacher Dewey Finn, wrote on Instagram. “Beautiful soul. So many great memories. Heartbroken. Sending love to his family and the whole School of Rock community.” Black posted a photo of himself with Clark in the movie along with what appeared to be a more recent photo with Clark as an adult. Cosgrove, who played one of the students, Summer, posted behind-the-scenes photos on Instagram. She wrote, “Stunned and saddened by this news today. The world lost an amazing soul. I’ll always remember your spirit and how kind you were to me. I’ll never forget all the memories. You’ll always be missed Kevin.”
