Actor Mark Blum Passes Away Due To Coronavirus Complications
A handful of celebrities have died due to complications from the coronavirus as of this writing, including 59-year-old Top Chef Masters winner Floyd Cardoz, and 86-year-old Jazz legend, Manu Dibango. Sadly, actor Mark Blum has also passed away after contracting COVID-19, SAG-AFTRA executive vice president Rebecca Damon confirmed in a tweet shared March 26, 2020. The New Jersey native, who starred in the hit film, Desperately Seeking Susan, was 69 and leaves behind his wife, fellow actor and professor Janet Zarish.
Damon described Blum as a "true actor's actor," a compliment his impressive resumé proves. In addition to Desperately Seeking Susan, the University of Pennsylvania alum has starred in the 1986 movie, Crocodile Dundee, and television shows like Frasier, The Sopranos, and Mozart in the Jungle. Most recently, he starred on Succession as "Bill" and played "Mr. Mooney" on the Netflix series You.
It appears Blum was beloved by many, including two of his famous co-stars who spoke out following the news of his death.
Madonna and Rosanna Arquette remember Mark Blum
In Desperately Seeking Susan, Mark Blum played "Gary Glass," the husband of Rosanna Arquette's character, "Roberta Glass." Madonna also had a leading role in the movie, starring as the mysterious "Susan Thomas." The music icon took to Instagram to pay tribute to Blum, captioning two stills from the film, "I Want to Acknowledge the Passing of a remarkable Human, fellow actor and friend Mark Blum, who succumbed to Coronavirus. This is really tragic and my heart goes out to him, his family and his loved ones." She continued, "I remember him as funny, warm, loving, and professional when we made Desperately Seeking Susan in 1985!! Another reminder that this virus is no joke, nothing to be casual about or pretend won't affect us in some way."
As for Arquette, she expressed being "terribly sad" about the loss of her on-screen husband and paid homage to him on Twitter. "Rest In Peace my friend and co-star what a kind and good person you were," she captioned a shot of the pair. "My condolences to all your family and friends."
Our thoughts are with Blum's loved ones during this tough time.