Laurel Griggs’ life was tragically cut short due to an asthma attack, the New York Post reports.
Griggs – just 13 years old – suffered a massive asthma attack and died on Nov. 5, her family shared. She was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where she passed away.
In addition to being an actress, she was a student at the Clinton School in Chelsea, where classes were canceled for half a day on Friday as her funeral was held at Park West-Riverside Chapels.
Griggs first appeared on the Broadway stage in “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” the legendary Tennessee Williams play. Griggs was just six years old at the time, starring as Polly alongside Hollywood heavyweights such as Scarlett Johansson.
After that, she took on the role of Ivanka in “ONCE the Musical,” playing the role for a record-holding 17 months. The production was nominated for 11 Tony Awards in 2012, winning eight, including “Best Orchestrations,” “Best Choreography” and the vaunted “Best Musical” category.
While her appearances on the bright lights of Broadway were her most heralded, Griggs popped up in other productions as well. According to her IMDb page, she made an appearance in an episode of “Louie” in 2015 and had a couple of uncredited appearances in “Saturday Night Live” as well. She also made a cameo in the 2016 Woody Allen film “Café Society,” which starred Jesse Eisenberg and Kristen Stewart.
Friends and family have taken to social media to remember the young actress.
“The world lost a real princess who only wanted to make the future happy for all,” her grandfather, David Rivlin, wrote on Facebook. “Acting was a just a childhood dream come true and she had big plans for the future.”
“She was so funny and silly, she was a little goofball in the best way,” Jill Zygo told PEOPLE; Zygo served as a guardian for the child actors during “ONCE.”
Eliza Holland Madore, who also played the role of Ivanka in the musical, wrote on her Instagram, “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.”
