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| Laurel Griggs, Broadway Actress, Dies at 13 After Asthma Attack | Laurel Griggs, Broadway Actress, Dies at 13 After Asthma Attack |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Laurel Griggs, who found early acting success in the 2013 Broadway revival of “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” and the musical adaptation of the Irish film “Once,” died on Tuesday in Manhattan. She was 13. | Laurel Griggs, who found early acting success in the 2013 Broadway revival of “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” and the musical adaptation of the Irish film “Once,” died on Tuesday in Manhattan. She was 13. |
| Ms. Griggs’s death was confirmed on Sunday by her grandfather David Rivlin, who said she had had a “massive asthma attack.” | Ms. Griggs’s death was confirmed on Sunday by her grandfather David Rivlin, who said she had had a “massive asthma attack.” |
| “Laurel was a child that everybody would dream to have,” Mr. Rivlin said. “She was a brilliant girl, could run a role and never forget a line, and I never heard a complaint.” | “Laurel was a child that everybody would dream to have,” Mr. Rivlin said. “She was a brilliant girl, could run a role and never forget a line, and I never heard a complaint.” |
| Emergency responders were flagged down about 7:25 p.m. on Tuesday outside an East Harlem residence to help a girl who was having difficulty breathing on the front steps of the building, the New York Police Department said. | Emergency responders were flagged down about 7:25 p.m. on Tuesday outside an East Harlem residence to help a girl who was having difficulty breathing on the front steps of the building, the New York Police Department said. |
| Officers performed CPR on the girl, whose name they did not release, en route to Mount Sinai Hospital, the police said. Ms. Griggs died at the hospital, Mr. Rivlin said. | Officers performed CPR on the girl, whose name they did not release, en route to Mount Sinai Hospital, the police said. Ms. Griggs died at the hospital, Mr. Rivlin said. |
| Ms. Griggs’s death stunned members of the theater community, who posted tributes to her on social media. They described her as a special talent who had balanced the rigors of school with her promising acting career. | |
| She made her Broadway debut at age 6 as Polly in Tennessee Williams’s “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” which starred Scarlett Johansson as Maggie. Ms. Griggs joined the company of the Tony Award-winning musical “Once” in 2013, playing Ivanka, the daughter of a Czech woman at the heart of the musical. Ms. Griggs had the role for 17 months, the longest in the production’s history, according to Young Broadway Actor News, a site for children working in New York theater. | She made her Broadway debut at age 6 as Polly in Tennessee Williams’s “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” which starred Scarlett Johansson as Maggie. Ms. Griggs joined the company of the Tony Award-winning musical “Once” in 2013, playing Ivanka, the daughter of a Czech woman at the heart of the musical. Ms. Griggs had the role for 17 months, the longest in the production’s history, according to Young Broadway Actor News, a site for children working in New York theater. |
| “Laurel was a brilliant young lady whose impact in the lives of everyone she met went far and beyond her immense talent,” the site said in a post. “Her wisdom and kindness were gifts to the theater community during her time on Earth.” | “Laurel was a brilliant young lady whose impact in the lives of everyone she met went far and beyond her immense talent,” the site said in a post. “Her wisdom and kindness were gifts to the theater community during her time on Earth.” |
| Rob Ashford, a Tony Award winner who directed Ms. Griggs in “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” said in an email: “Laurel was one of the first children we cast in ‘Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.’ She had a wonderful energy and spirit and was loved by the entire company.” | Rob Ashford, a Tony Award winner who directed Ms. Griggs in “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” said in an email: “Laurel was one of the first children we cast in ‘Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.’ She had a wonderful energy and spirit and was loved by the entire company.” |
| Ms. Griggs made a few appearances on “Saturday Night Live” as an uncredited cast member. She also appeared in the film “Café Society,” a romantic comedy starring Steve Carell that Amazon released in 2016, and did voice work for the animated series “Bubble Guppies.” | Ms. Griggs made a few appearances on “Saturday Night Live” as an uncredited cast member. She also appeared in the film “Café Society,” a romantic comedy starring Steve Carell that Amazon released in 2016, and did voice work for the animated series “Bubble Guppies.” |
| Ms. Griggs wrote and directed a short film about a school shooting called “This Is Not a Drill,” screened at the Tribeca Film Festival last year. And she participated in Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, to which her family directed memorial donations. | Ms. Griggs wrote and directed a short film about a school shooting called “This Is Not a Drill,” screened at the Tribeca Film Festival last year. And she participated in Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, to which her family directed memorial donations. |
| “Whether she was helping with our fund-raising efforts or appearing with other kids from Broadway in a special holiday video, Laurel exuded sweetness and sincerity,” Tom Viola, the organization’s executive director, said in a statement. | “Whether she was helping with our fund-raising efforts or appearing with other kids from Broadway in a special holiday video, Laurel exuded sweetness and sincerity,” Tom Viola, the organization’s executive director, said in a statement. |
| Robert Cole, the executive producer of the Broadway production of “Once,” described her in an email as “a consummate pro.” | |
| “In the spirit of the role of Ivanka (a sweet, innocent and happy child) Laurel had those wonderful qualities while on stage as well as back stage, which were a positive part of the love and good feeling that the show ‘Once’ seemed to create among all those who worked in and on the show,” he wrote. | |
| Ms. Griggs’s asthma was diagnosed at an early age, according to her grandfather Mr. Rivlin. She attended the Clinton School, an International Baccalaureate World School on East 15th Street with a strong emphasis on the arts. | Ms. Griggs’s asthma was diagnosed at an early age, according to her grandfather Mr. Rivlin. She attended the Clinton School, an International Baccalaureate World School on East 15th Street with a strong emphasis on the arts. |
| Mr. Rivlin said Ms. Griggs had big plans outside show business, noting that she had been active as an environmentalist and probably would have become a lawyer. | Mr. Rivlin said Ms. Griggs had big plans outside show business, noting that she had been active as an environmentalist and probably would have become a lawyer. |
| “I think the country is going to miss her, not just Broadway,” Mr. Rivlin said. “God only knows what she could have done with her life.” | “I think the country is going to miss her, not just Broadway,” Mr. Rivlin said. “God only knows what she could have done with her life.” |