STAR LOST
Dreamgirls & The Wiz star Hinton Battle dies aged 67 as Jennifer Hudson and Sarah Michelle Gellar pay tribute
The actor was writing his autobiography when he sadly passed away
DREAMGIRLS and The Wiz star Hinton Battle has died aged 67 from a long-term illness.
The American actor passed away at the Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles this week.
5
5
5
The nature of his illness has not been revealed by his family, who have no plans to disclose his cause of death, according to .
Hinton is perhaps best known for his Broadway performance in The Wiz - playing the original character of The Scarecrow in 1975.
His role became more prominent after it was taken on by Michael Jackson in the 1978 film adaptation.
Hinton also starred as Wayne in the 2006 movie Dreamgirls alongside Beyonce and Jennifer Hudson, with the latter paying tribute to him following the news.
Read more in Showbiz
Taking to X, the actress wrote: "We lost two irreplaceable Broadway icons this week. Chita Rivera and Hinton Battle!
"I’ll always be grateful for their unique artistry and impact and the way our lives intersected! Rest well, legends!"
Actress Sarah Michelle Gellar also paid her respects to the late actor after the pair worked together on popular TV show Buffy The Vampire Slayer.
Hinton's other notable stage work includes Sophisticated Ladies (1981), The Tap Dance Kid (1984) and Miss Saigon (1991).
Most read in Celebrity
He picked up a Tony Award for each role, all in the category of Featured Actor in a Musical.
Born on November 29, 1956, in Neubrücke, Rhineland-Palatinate, West Germany, Hinton was raised in Washington, DC, and New York City.
Prior to his Broadway breakthrough with The Wiz at the age of just 15, the American actor received a scholarship to The School of American Ballet.
After three decades on the New York stage, Hinton eventually made the jump into film and television.
He made appearances in Dreamgirls, Smash, These Old Broads, Quantum Leap, Touched By An Angel, and Buffy The Vampire Slayer - playing the demon Sweet in a 2001 musical episode of the latter.
In 2017, the German-born actor launched the Hinton Battle Dance Academy.
Aside from acting and dancing, Hinton had a brief spell as a singer in the mid 1980s.
After releasing the song Think We’re Gonna Make It as part of the soundtrack to the 1986 movie Playing For Keeps, he released a lone solo album called Untapped the same year.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Hinton was writing an autobiography and a children's book at the time of his death.
He is survived by his sisters, Eddie and Lettie.
5
5
Topics