Jesse L. Martin in Rent Jesse L. Martin says singing “I’ll Cover You (Reprise)” is still emotionally difficult<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n After writer and creator Jonathan Larson passed, Martin sang it at his memorial<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n Martin originated the role of Tom Collins in Rent<\/em>, which became a critically acclaimed Broadway hit after Larson’s tragic death<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n There’s one song from Rent<\/em> that is both physically and emotionally hard to sing for Jesse L. Martin: “I’ll Cover You (Reprise).”<\/p>\n In an interview on The Roundtable with <\/em><\/a>Robert Bannon<\/em><\/a>, the actor, 57, explained that he “always saw that as a song to Jonathan [Larson],” the playwright and composer who created the 1996 musical.<\/p>\n “I had to sing that song at his memorial,\u201d Martin shared. \u201cIt felt the whole time that I had something lodged in my throat, and it was really hard to sing, but every single time I’ve ever sang it, it was always for Jonathan. Always.\u201d<\/p>\n Wilson Jermaine Heredia, Jesse L. Martin in ‘Rent’ The Law & Order <\/em>actor originated the role of Tom Collins in both the Off-Broadway and later Broadway musicals<\/em>, as well as the movie.<\/p>\n Tragically, Larson died on Jan. 25, 1996 \u2014 the night before Rent<\/em>\u2018s Off-Broadway premiere at the New York Theatre Workshop \u2014 of an aortic dissection believed to have been caused by undiagnosed Marfan syndrome.<\/p>\n His musical would go on to receive critical acclaim and commercial success. The show opened on Broadway on April 29, 1996, and ran for 5,123 performances before closing on Sept. 7, 2008. It won several awards, including the 1996 Tony for Best Musical and the 1996 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.<\/p>\n In addition to Martin, the musical, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, featured Idina Menzel<\/a> (Maureen), Anthony Rapp<\/a> (Mark), Adam Pascal<\/a> (Roger), Daphne Rubin-Vega (Mimi), Wilson Jermaine Heredia (Angel), Fredi Walker (Joanne) and Taye Diggs (Benny).<\/p>\n In 2024, Martin told PEOPLE that when he was filming The Irrational,<\/em> he was approached by a woman and her daughter who were fans of his from Rent<\/em>.<\/p>\n \u201cThe daughter was completely shy, so she just looked shell-shocked, and the mom was in tears,\u201d Martin recalled. When he talked with the mother-daughter duo, he learned the mother had been a fan of the original Broadway production of Rent<\/em>, while the daughter loved the movie.<\/p>\n
Credit: Phil Bray\/Sony\/Kobal\/Shutterstock<\/i><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\nNEED TO KNOW<\/h3>\n
\n
\n
<\/div>
Credit: Demmie Todd\/Sony\/Kobal\/Shutterstock<\/i><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n