Marin Mazzie, Platinum-Voiced Tony Nominee of Passion & Ragtime, Dies at 57

Marin Mazzie, the beloved Broadway star who lent a powerful balance of drama and comedy to a variety of roles on Broadway, died on September 13 in New York City. The cause of death was ovarian cancer. Mazzie was 57.

Marin Joy Mazzie was born on October 9, 1960 in Rockford, Illinois. She graduated from Western Michigan University with degrees in theater and music, making her Broadway debut as a replacement in the original production of Big River (1985). Mazzie followed up that performance with a turn as Rapunzel in the original production of Into the Woods (1987).

Mazzie turned heads when she originated the role of Clara in Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's musical drama Passion (1994), earning her first Tony nomination as Best Featured Actress in a Musical. A few years later, Mazzie introduced the role of Mother in Ragtime (1998), a musical version of E.L. Doctorow's iconic novel adapted by Terrence McNally, Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty. The show netted Mazzie another Tony nom, as Best Leading Actress in a Musical.

Mazzie struck gold again with a comedic turn as Lilli Vanessi/Katharine in a Broadway revival of the Cole Porter-scored musical Kiss Me, Kate (1999). The production earned Mazzie another Tony nod as Leading Actress in a Musical. She later reprised her acclaimed performance in London, earning a 2002 Olivier nomination.

In 2010, Mazzie and real-life husband Jason Danieley replaced in the roles of married couple Diana and Dan Goodman in Broadway's Next to Normal. In addition to this shared stage turn, the couple regularly performed cabarets at venues including midtown's Feinstein's/54 Below. Mazzie and Danieley met in 1996 while rehearsing the play Trojan Women: A Love Story; they married in 1997.

Mazzie's additional Broadway credits include Man of La Mancha (2003), Spamalot (2008), Enron (2010), Bullets Over Broadway (2014) and The King and I (2016), which marked her last Broadway credit. Her off-Broadway work included roles in And the World Goes 'Round (1991), The Vagina Monologues (1999), Carrie (2012) and her final New York stage turn, McNally's Fire and Air (2018).

In 2017, Mazzie was inducted into the Theater Hall of Fame.