Mark Blum's Life and Career before His Death from Coronavirus Complications

Mark Blum, the actor best known for “Desperately Seeking Susan,” had a long and successful career in the entertainment industry before dying of complications from coronavirus.

Born in May 1950 in New Jersey, Mark was an actor and producer whose career began in theaters. His first acting gig came in the 1976 off-Broadway production “The Cherry Orchard.”

MARK BLUM’S MOVIES AND SERIES

After working in a few other plays like “The World of Sholom Aleichem” and “The Merchant,” he finally made the transition to the big screen in the 1983 comedy “Lovesick.”

One of the most important parts that Mark got early in his career was that of Gary Glass on “Desperately Seeking Susan,” wherein he worked next to none other than Madonna.

From that point on, his career skyrocketed, landing parts on TV shows like “Sweet Surrender” and “Capital Kings.” Most recently, he was known for portraying Union Bob on “Mozart in the Jungle” and Mr. Mooney on “You.”

As per his romantic life, Mark was married to “As the World Turns” actress Janet Zarish between 2005 and March 26, 2020, when he sadly passed away from complications from coronavirus.

MOURNING HIS DEATH

Mark Blum, who also worked on “Crocodile Dundee,” was 69 years old at the moment of his death at New York-Presbyterian Hospital. Following his passing, the theater company Playwrights Horizons shared a message on Twitter that reads:

“Thank you, Mark, for all you brought to our theater and to theaters and audiences across the world. We will miss you.”

Mark’s former co-star Madonna also took to Instagram to acknowledge his death, labeling him as a “remarkable” person and friend. She admitted that such news was tragic and that she remembered him as a funny, warm, loving, and professional man.

She made sure to remind her followers that the coronavirus pandemic was “no joke” and that people could not pretend that it won’t affect them “in some way.”

Madonna finally wrote in her post that we all needed to be grateful and hopeful while also helping others and following the rules of quarantine.

Mark Blum is survived by his wife Janet, his mother Lorraine, and his sister Nancy.

MORE HIGH-PROFILE VICTIMS OF THE COVID-19

Unfortunately, the late actor was not the only high-profile person who passed away after contracting the coronavirus. As Business Insider reported, one of the first ones to die was Li Wenliang.

Li was the Chinese doctor who tried to warn doctors and several other people of the highly-contagious virus several weeks ago. While treating patients in Wuhan, China, he contracted COVID-19 and died on February 7.

Tony Award-winning playwright Terrence McNally, known for “American Playhouse” and “Frankie & Johnny,” died on March 24 from complications related to the coronavirus.

The late playwright was a lung cancer survivor who, after finishing his treatment, was living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Italian actress Lucia Bosè passed away on March 23. She was 89 years old, and while her death was caused by pneumonia, it was reported that she was also infected with COVID-19.

Floyd Cardoz, the chef of Tabla and Bombay Bread Bar, passed away on March 25 from complications of the virus, as well. Floyd was described as a “force in New York’s restaurant community.”

Actors, TV hosts, athletes, and politicians have also contracted the disease. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, for example, made the shocking announcement on March 27 in a two-minute video on Twitter.

Prince Charles, the first in line to the British throne, also tested positive for coronavirus. Shortly after the news about his diagnosis went public, he shared a statement thanking everyone for their kind messages.