MAYOR CANTRELL PAYS HOMAGE TO THE MANY ARTISTS, PERFORMERS LOST IN APRIL
NEW ORLEANS — Mayor LaToya Cantrell today offered condolences to the family, friends and audiences of the many artists and performers who passed away in April. These tragic losses come just a few short months after the city lost two acting legends in Sherri Marina and Carol Sutton.
April was particularly painful, including the loss of visual artist/poet Herbert Kearney, artist/musician Clyde Casey as well as theater mainstays Mark Burton and Michael Martin. Kearney, among many other things, was known for his transformative “Ship of the Dead” installation displayed near the New Orleans Healing Center. Clyde Casey, often called the “Original Soul Shaker,” showed his love as a musician (often with his percussion machine) and as a wooden sign carver.
By day Mark Burton was a brilliant attorney but by night he was an active presence in the area's vibrant musical theater scene – from Le Petit to Rivertown Theaters to Summer Lyric. He found a perfect match, on and off the stage, with his beloved husband, Kyle Daigrepont, with whom he co-starred in such works as "Candide," "The Ritz," "Les Miserables," and "At Last!, a Wedding Cabaret" at Rivertown Theaters. Big Easy Award-winner Michael Martin never met a stage he couldn’t animate, a fellow thespian he couldn’t mentor, or an issue he wouldn’t engage with – on social media or in person. He will be remembered for his one-man show about John Hinckley Jr., his launch of Infringe Fest New Orleans, and, more recently, his honest, widely acclaimed performance in the independent film, “Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets.” He did all of this with the loving support of his husband, Eric Martin Webb.
"Our hearts are heavy this month as we learn of the passing of so many of our creative community’s brightest lights, and some of the most iconoclastic. We will miss all of these talented artists, but we know the creative community will remember and carry on the legacy they leave behind. Here’s to them and all of the others who have given their heart and soul to creativity in the city. May they rest in God’s perfect peace," said Mayor Cantrell.
(Pictured, clockwise from top left: Herbert Kearney, Clyde Casey, Mark Burton, Michael Martin. Photos of Kearney, Casey and Martin courtesy Louis Maistros.)
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