Keeping his memory alive. After Amanda Kloots’ husband, Broadway alum Nick Cordero, died following a lengthy battle with COVID-19 in July 2020, she continued to update her followers about dealing with grief, staying strong for their son, Elvis, and remembering her husband of fewer than three years.
The Talk cohost previously told Us Weekly that navigating the grief of losing her partner is different every day. “A lot of people have said to me, ‘It gets easier [and] time helps,’ and I don’t know if I found that yet. I still pretty much cry every day. It’s growing pains,” she said in April 2021.
The fitness instructor added that she’s “doing everything I possibly can to stay healthy and active and happy. And you know, grief is a process … Everybody does it differently.”
The former professional dancer revealed that Elvis’s new milestones make her grief process more difficult. “With Elvis, like, there’s so many things that he does or there’s times in life that you just wish your person was there to celebrate with,” she explained. “And I think that that’s where it’s harder because you miss your person so much.”
Kloots hosted a memorial for her husband in July 2020 for the couple’s family and close friends. The Live Your Life bestselling author shared news of the ceremony on Instagram. In a caption, she wrote, “I said, ‘Nick would have wanted this to be a celebration. Let’s try to laugh, share great stories and sing for him and to his memory.’ He would have loved it. It was beautiful and perfect. His spirit was definitely there.”
During the ceremony, the attendees listened to “I’m Here” from The Color Purple. Kloots revealed that after Cordero’s death, those lyrics held a new meaning for her. She continued, via her Instagram: “Truly, I am scared. Scared of my new normal, of the pain, the loss and being strong enough to get through it. But, I know Nick is up above rooting [sic] for me, believing in me and hoping for me.”
Cordero was first admitted to the hospital in March 2020 after experiencing symptoms of COVID-19. His case had several complications, including a mini-stroke, blood clots and a leg amputation. The former dancer announced that he died on July 5, 2020, at age 41.
“I am in disbelief and hurting everywhere,” she wrote via Instagram at the time. “My heart is broken as I cannot imagine our lives without him. Nick was such a bright light. He was everyone’s friend, loved to listen, help and especially talk. He was an incredible actor and musician. He loved his family and loved being a father and husband. Elvis and I will miss him in everything we do, everyday.”
Keep scrolling to see all the different ways that Kloots has honored the Waitress actor after his death: