Andy Hallett, singer and actor, Died at 33

  Actor, Music

Dead, Andrew Alcott “Andy” Hallett on March 29, 2009 at the age of 33, he was an American singer and actor best known for playing the part of Lorne in the television series Angel (2000-2004).

Born on August 4, 1975 he was 6 foot 2 inches tall and hailed from the Cape Cod village of Osterville, Massachusetts, which is part of the town of Barnstable. He was a 1993 graduate from Barnstable High School and he went on to Assumption College in Worcester after graduation.

He eventually became a personal assistant to Kai Cole, wife of Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator Joss Whedon. When the couple and their friends saw Hallett singing at the “B.B. Kings” lounge at Universal CityWalk, Whedon conceived a new character for his new show Angel: Lorne, an anagogic demon who reads the hearts and futures of his guests as they sing in his karaoke bar.

Hallett was invited to try out for the part, and won it after three auditions. Angel was his first real job as an actor, though he did play an extra role in a 1999 episode of Buffy; he acquired agent Pat Brady only after she spotted him singing and acting in “Judgment,” the premiere episode of Angel’s second season.

When Andy was 13 years old he bought a school bus from a friend of his dad’s for $500. One night he snuck out in his bus with six of his friends and the cops arrested him because the vehicle was unregistered.

He was taken to jail in handcuffs at 14 years old and his mother had to bail him out. Andy said that having his mother show up was worse than actually being in the cell.

According to an interview in the Cleveland Plain Dealer (April 24, 2003), “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” executive producer Joss Whedon had been friends with Andy Hallett and they liked to visit a “dirty, old scandalous” karaoke bar in Hollywood together; then Joss asked him to audition for the role of Lorne.

Hallett joined the cast during the second season, but because he was unsure about how his flashy-dressing, green-faced character would be received, he kept his day job for an entire season. Hallett told the Cleveland Plain Dealer (April 24, 2003) that he loved singing while growing up in Osterville, Mass., but negative peer pressure made him quit.

Then, at a Patti LaBelle concert, she invited him onstage to sing “Lady Marmalade” with her. When he received applause and requests for photographs, he realized that “It was really a life-changing experience.”

According to a 2005 interview, about a month after filming the last episode of Angel, Hallett suffered a dental infection which spread through the bloodstream to his heart, leading to a case of cardiomyopathy, for which he spent five days in the hospital.

Although he recovered, his heart muscle and valves were weakened and he found himself easily fatigued afterward.