Beloved Broadway Luminary, Rebecca Luker, Has Died at Age 59

The beloved Broadway singer and actress, Rebecca Luker, 59, died Wednesday, December 23 after bravely battling amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, for almost a year. Luker, whose crystal-clear operatic soprano and personal warmth were praised by critics, colleagues and fans alike, enjoyed a three-decade career on Broadway, which garnered her three Tony nominations—for Show Boat (1994), The Music Man (2000) and Mary Poppins (2006).

Born Rebecca Joan Luker on April 17, 1961, in Birmingham, Ala., and one of four children of Norse Doak Luker Jr. and Martha (Baggett) Luker, she sang in her church choir and was also a member of the Thompson High marching band. During her high school years she entered a beauty pageant and won a college scholarship as first runner-up to Alabama’s Junior Miss. At the University of Montevallo she majored in music, receiving her degree in 1984 after a break working with Michigan Opera Theater to perform as Johanna in a production of Sweeney Todd. She made her Broadway debut in 1988 as part of the original cast of The Phantom of the Opera and a scant year later took over the female lead, Christine.

She remained with Phantom until 1991, immediately moving to The Secret Garden, where she received a Drama Desk Award nomination for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical. Roles that followed during her long career varied to replacements as well as originating; she transitioned gracefully from an ingenue as she matured, all the while demonstrating versatility in her performances, which also included Off Broadway and regional theater. Among her many credits are Nine, Death Takes a Holiday (earning her an Outer Critics Circle Award nomination as Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical), Brigadoon, Cindarella and her final stage role in 2019’s Footloose at the Kennedy Center.

Luker also appeared in film and on television, notably “NCIS: New Orleans,” “Elementary,” Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,“ “Boardwalk Empire” and more. She was well-known as a concert artist and cabaret performer, appearing in major rooms in New York and beyond. She performed around the world with major symphonies and orchestras, and was a frequent presence at the Kennedy Center Honors. Most recently, she performed at a concert in honor of the lyricist Sheldon Harnick in March 2020, and via Zoom in June 2020, gave her last performance in a prerecorded benefit entitled “At Home With Rebecca Luker.”

In her personal life, Luker married actor Gregory Jbara in 1993, divorcing in 1996. While performing in Time and Again in San Diego in 1996, she met and became friends with fellow actor Danny Burstein. Back in New York, that friendship blossomed into romance and the two were wed in 2000. Luker is survived by Burstein; two stepsons, Zachary and Alexander Burstein; a brother, Roger; a sister, Suzanne Luker; her mother, Martha Hales; and her stepfather, Lamar Hales. Another brother, Stephen, died last year.

Luker will be heard on the upcoming recording All the Girls with fellow Broadway actor Sally Wilfert. Adapted from their stage show of the same name, the album is an ode to female friendship. It features songs by Stephen Sondheim, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Kander and Ebb, and more. The PS Classics release will be available digitally December 25.

In Memorium Rebecca Luker, “Hello Young Lovers”