Skip to main content Skip to footer site map
Broadway Vet Lawrence Merritt Has Passed Away

Broadway Vet Lawrence Merritt Has Passed Away

Lawrence appeared in over eight Broadway shows, including Applause (as a Duane Fox replacement), No Strings, Dear World, Pippin, On The Town, Golden Rainbow and Evita.

Broadway vet Lawrence Merritt passed away on January 22, 2023. He succumbed to COVID/pneumonia at the Riverside Rehabilitation and Healing Center in NYC, where he was receiving treatment since last spring.

Lawrence appeared in over eight Broadway shows, including Applause (as a Duane Fox replacement), No Strings, Dear World, Pippin, On The Town, Golden Rainbow and Evita and on TV specials for Kraft Music Hall, Ann-Margret, Anne Bancroft and numerous live Ed Sullivan shows. His leading ladies in the nightclub circuit included Juliet Prowse, Ann-Margret, the Raquel Welch world tour and partnering Ginger Rogers for a year and a half. After surviving a car accident involving a spinal cord injury, he learned to walk again and discovered his voice through acting. Lawrence began performing many major roles regionally and in New York City for the last twenty years.

He became involved with Theatre Breaking Through Barriers (TBTB), "dedicated to advancing actors and writers with disabilities and changing the image of people with disabilities from dependence to independence" and appeared in their 2013 ten one-act play festival, featuring works by Neil LaBute, Samuel D. Hunter, Jerrod Bogard and Lynn Manning. Lawrence also appeared at the HERE theater in a solo play The Pattern at Pendarvis in July, 2018, playing a 91 year old gay man recalling his past as a preservationist in the Midwest, being interviewed by a young gay journalist.

A long time Dancers Over 40 member, Lawrence joined the DO40 board in 2010 and received a DO40 Legacy Award in 2013, along with Chita Rivera, Bob Avian, Louise Quick and Skip Randall.



Related Stories
Chaim Topol, FIDDLER ON THE ROOF Actor, Dies Aged 87 Photo
Chaim Topol, the Israeli actor and singer best known for his performance as Tevye the Milkman in Fiddler on the Roof, has died at the age of 87.

Franco Punzi, President of the Paolo Grassi Foundation, Passes Away Photo
Franco Punzi, president of the Paolo Grassi Foundation which organizes the Valle d'Itria festival, died February 17th following a period of illness. He would have been 88 years old in little more than a month.

Barbara Siman Strouse Has Passed Away Photo
Barbara Siman Strouse, veteran Broadway actress, director, and choreographer passed away on February 16th, according to her official obituary.

Raquel Welch Passes Away at 82 Photo
BroadwayWorld is saddened to report that Raquel Welch has passed away at 82. Mostly known for her work in television and film, Welch was seen on Broadway in the title role of Victor/Victoria. She originally made her Broadway debut as Tess Harding in Woman of the Year in 1981, a role that she also played on the production's national tour.


More Hot Stories For You


Cameron Crowe to Honor Tom Kitt And More At New York City Children's Theater's Annual Gala Cameron Crowe to Honor Tom Kitt And More At New York City Children's Theater's Annual Gala 
March 21, 2023

New York City Children's Theater's Annual Gala welcomes Academy Award winner Cameron Crowe to honor Tom Kitt, Sidley Austin LLP, and Alexa Fairchild.

Photos: First Look At The Pulitzer Prize-Winning Play FAT HAM On Broadway!Photos: First Look At The Pulitzer Prize-Winning Play FAT HAM On Broadway!
March 21, 2023

The 2022 Pulitzer Prize-winning comedy Fat Ham by James Ijames, directed by The Public Theater’s Associate Artistic Director and Resident Director Saheem Ali, makes its Broadway premiere tonight, March 21. See a first look photo from the show!

Broadway Aimed HIPPEST TRIP — THE SOUL TRAIN MUSICAL & More Set for A.C.T. 2023/24 SeasonBroadway Aimed HIPPEST TRIP — THE SOUL TRAIN MUSICAL & More Set for A.C.T. 2023/24 Season
March 21, 2023

American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.) has announced the productions that will make up the company’s 2023/24 season. See the lineup, and learn how to purchase tickets!

Leanne Antonio, Anthony Cochrane & More to Lead MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS at Paper Mill PlayhouseLeanne Antonio, Anthony Cochrane & More to Lead MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS at Paper Mill Playhouse
March 21, 2023

Paper Mill Playhouse has announced the cast and creative team for Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express by Ken Ludwig, directed by Casey Hushion. See performance dates and learn how to purchase tickets!

Broadway Grosses: Week Ending 3/19/23Broadway Grosses: Week Ending 3/19/23
March 21, 2023

Grosses for all the Broadway shows for the week ending 3/19/2023.