Someone on Facebook just posted a message saying James was no longer with us. He was such an amazing person and actor, I'm just shocked right now.
Updated On: 9/26/10 at 07:37 PM
It is true. You may consider this to be confirmation.
He was too young to go and shall be sorely, sorely missed.
I do not yet know what theatre his memorial will be held at. Usually it seems to be the last Broadway theatre in which the actor performed. He was in many shows, however, with ties to several theatres.
It is a hard loss of someone so artistic, smart and kind.
Updated On: 9/27/10 at 04:55 AM
I'm listening to the Dreamgirls concert recording right now. This is so crazy!
RIP James .
Butters, go buy World of Warcraft, install it on your computer, and join the online sensation before we all murder you.
--Cartman: South Park
ATTENTION FANS: I will be played by James Barbour in the upcoming musical, "BroadwayWorld: The Musical."
He was always friendly and positive backstage during FINIAN'S RAINBOW; he seemed happy to see you and happy to be working at what he loved. I'll miss him.
Does anyone know when James appeared as Coalhouse in the original production of Ragtime? I always thought that Alton White replaced Brian Stokes Mitchell and played the remainder of the run. Thanks.
Hey Dottie!
Did your colleagues enjoy the cake even though your cat decided to sit on it? ~GuyfromGermany
Saw him go on for Dick Cavett as the Narrator in ROCKY HORROR, around the time of one of the Giuliani art controversies (Virgin Mary covered in dung perhaps?). He gave a brilliantly crafted monologue about the state of art mid-show.
Not a person who normally comments on obituary threads, as the person who has passed on, has lived a fulfilling life and lived a good innings, but James hasn't and that's what makes this so sad.
Hope James has got a leading role, in the great theatre in the sky.
James had a congenital heart condition regarding valves in his heart which affected him only by middle age. He was an athletic dancer so you would not have known it, but he had been made aware at an early age that the difficulty was expected later on.
To make the medical story short, he had a complication from this condition and the treatment he had to have to alleviate it, and that is why and how he passed.
James, the son of a Minister (I believe Baptist), was also a trained Christian Minister and a deeply spiritual person. As I recall he attended Andover Academy prep school in Massachusetts, don't remember which college offhand. He was a fine baritone and bass singer and a superb speaker. You may have seen him on an American Express commercial a few years ago.