Broadway actor who played Simba in ‘The Lion King’ dies at 47

Broadway actor Clifton Oliver, best known for playing Simba in ‘The Lion King,” has died at 47.

The actor died early Wednesday morning, according to his sister Roxy Hall.

“His partner Richard, was singing to him the song Psalm 23 as he took his last breath this morning at 3:20 AM,” Hall wrote in a Facebook post. “He had a gorgeous smile on his beautiful face!! He went twirling into the afterlife ready to make his grand appearance as the star of his homecoming celebration!”

The circumstances around Oliver’s death aren’t clear, but he spent that last six weeks of his life in the hospital and in hospice care, according to Hall.

The Broadway show commemorated the actor on Instagram.

“Today, our Pride joins in remembering the legacy of the late Clifton Oliver, who shared his talents and light with audiences across Broadway, Las Vegas, and our North American tour from 2000-2011,” the post read.

In honor of Oliver’s legacy, the lights will be dimmed at the New Amsterdam Theatre in New York City on Tuesday at 5 p.m.

Oliver was born in 1975 and is from Jacksonville, Florida, according to Playbill.com. He moved to New York City in 2010 to pursue his Broadway career.

He is best known for his roles in “The Lion King” and “In the Heights,” where he played the character Benny alongside Jordin Sparks, according to the outlet.

This story originally appeared on NBCNews.com.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com