RIP Laurel Griggs — Broadway Child Star Dies At 13
Rest in peace, Laurel Griggs.
Instagram It's always a tragedy when a young person dies, but it's even more tragic when a person dies of something that, especially on the surface, seems preventable. And that's exactly what happened to SNL star and Broadway child star Laurel Griggs. How did Laurel Griggs die?
She was an actress whose star was slowly, but surely, on the rise. As a Broadway star, she was getting accolades for her roles in such plays as ONCE and was also getting parts on such shows as Saturday Night Live and the new show Cafe Society, which is found on Amazon Prime and stars Steve Carell.
Now, sadly, she's no longer with us. Let's take a look at what we know about this unfortunate tragedy.
1. Information about her death wasn't immediately released.
According to TMZ, Laurel Griggs died on November 5th, but the family didn't make the information about her death public until today. The outlet also reports that Laurel's grandfather, David Rivlin, was the one who broke the news about Laurel's death on his personal Facebook page.
2. Laurel Griggs got her start as an actress opposite Scarlett Johansson.
Fox News reports that when Laurel Griggs first started acting, it was in 2013, when she was just 7 years old. She starred opposite Hollywood superstar Scarlett Johansson in the hit Broadway play, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. However, the outlet also features a photo of Laurel (going by her full name, Laurel Clair Griggs) in 2008, as a baby in her mother's arms,
3. She had trouble breathing.
"Griggs started to have trouble breathing and suffered the attack around 7:25 p.m., police said. Cops tried to save the teen by performing CPR in a police vehicle as they rushed her to Mount Sinai Hospital, but she was pronounced dead at the hospital four hours later, authorities said," according to The New York Post.
4. Laurel Griggs' family is asking well-wishers to donate to charity in lieu of flowers.
According to Laurel Griggs' obituary page on Dignity Memorial, her family is asking for well-wishers to donate to charity — specifically, the Broadway Cares charity — in lieu of sending flowers or other gifts. The site also confirms that Laurel died on November 5th, but didn't get interred until November 8th. What's more, the family didn't release details about her passing until today.
5. Her Broadway co-stars paid tribute to her.
"I am deeply saddened by the sudden loss of one of my Ivanka sisters. Laurel — you were always smiling and always made other people laugh. I’m so incredibly grateful that I got to know you. You will never be forgotten, and we will never stop loving you. Everybody in the Once Family is going to keep you alive through us. R.I.P. My heart goes to her family," wrote Eliza Madore, her co-star on Broadway, on her Instagram page. You can check out her post below.
6. Laurel Griggs died of a massive asthma attack.
Laurel Griggs died on November 5, 2019, of a massive asthma attack. As per her grandfather, the doctors tried their best to revive her but were unable to do so. Our thoughts are with Laurel Griggs' family during this difficult time.
Bernadette Giacomazzo is an editor, writer, and photographer whose work has appeared in People, Teen Vogue, Us Weekly, The Source, XXL, HipHopDX, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Post, and more. She is also the author of The Uprising series. For more information about Bernadette Giacomazzo, click here.