Theater News

Broadway Sign Language Interpreter Alan Champion Dies at 55

| New York City |

April 25, 2011

Alan Champion, a hearing-impaired sign-language interpreter who worked on Broadway for 30 years, died of appendix cancer on Friday, April 22 in Ramona, Oklahoma, according to The New York Times. He was 55.


Champion, who acted during high school, was part of the team that delivered the first signed interpretation on Broadway, for a 1980 performance of The Elephant Man, starring David Bowie. He continued to interpret Broadway shows until 2010, including the recent revival of West Side Story, and also worked as an interpreter for the State of New Jersey.


He is survived by his sister, Alice Burnett, and two brothers, Harold and Jerry.

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