Andile Gumbi, Longtime International Simba in The Lion King, Dies at Age 36
(© Simon Turtle/Disney)
Andile Gumbi, a South African actor who made his Broadway debut as Simba in The Lion King in 2012, has died at the age of 36, according to published reports. Gumbi suffered cardiac arrest in Israel, which left him in a coma before he passed.
At the time of his death, Gumbi was playing King Nebuchadnezzar in a production called Daniel the Musical at the Jerusalem Theatre. Gumbi played Simba in The Lion King on Broadway during the production's 15th anniversary.
A native of Durban, South Africa, Gumbi also appeared in the London, Sydney, Melbourne, Shanghai, and South Africa productions of the The Lion King. He subsequently became the face of the musical internationally, having appeared in worldwide advertisements for the show in print, on television, and in billboard advertisments.
