'Angel' Actor Andy Hallett

[morty]

'Angel' Actor Andy Hallett

Andy Hallett

LOS ANGELES, California -- Andy Hallett, an actor and singer who gained fame portraying a green-skinned demon on the dark vampire series, "Angel," died Sunday, March 29 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County coroner's office said Tuesday. He was 33.

Hallett had called 911 Sunday evening complaining of shortness of breath, said Ed Winter, a coroner's spokesman. The actor was rushed to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 8:35 p.m. An autopsy is pending. His death was first reported by E! Online.

Hallett was born in 1975 in the village of Osterville, Massachusetts, part of the town of Barnstable, on Cape Cod. He attended Assumption College in Worcester, Massachusetts, and studied business. Hallett told the Cleveland Plain Dealer in a 2003 interview that he loved singing while growing up on Cape Cod, but his friends discouraged his efforts.

Then, Patti LaBelle invited him onstage to sing "Lady Marmalade" with her at a concert. When he received applause and requests for photographs, he realized, "It was really a life-changing experience."

Actors Dave Boreanaz (left) and Andy Hallett (right) share a scene in the

vampire television show, 'Angel.' Hallett played a green-skinned demon

who was the consummate greeter at a karaoke bar.

Hallett moved to Los Angeles, where he worked as a runner for an agency, property manager and then personal assistant. He was singing in a Universal City Blues Revue when he met and became friends with Joss Whedon, creator of the television shows, including "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and its spinoff, "Angel."

It was Whedon who asked Hallett to audition for the role of Krevlornswath of the Deathwok Clan, known as The Host and Lorne. The character was the consummate greeter at a karaoke bar named Caritas, where Lorne was able to read people by how they sang.

Hallett played Lorne in 76 episodes and sang in six of them. In one episode, he sang "Lady Marmalade." Information on survivors and services was not immediately available.

[Catwishes]

This is so sad. I still watch reruns of Angel on TNT every morning. Lorne was one of the best characters on the show. Rest in peace, Andy . . .

[TV_Paige]

'Angel' Actor Andy Hallett

'Angel' Actor Andy Hallett

LOS ANGELES, California -- Actor and Singer Andy Hallett, who starred as Lorne aka "The Host" on the popular vampire television series, "Angel," died on Sunday, March 29 of heart failure, according to his longtime agent and friend Pat Brady. He was 33.

The actor passed away at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles after a five-year battle with heart disease, with his father, Dave Hallett, by his side. He had been admitted to the hospital three or four times in the past few years for his heart condition, according to Brady.

Brady reported Hallett's heart condition was diagnosed at the end of "Angel" and that he decided to concentrate on his own music, stepping away from acting. "Andy was the all-American boy from Massachusetts," Brady reflected. "He was a hoot. He was comfortable wherever he went. Girls loved him. He was a very gregarious, happy young man."

Andy Hallett transforms into his alter ego, the green

singing demon, Lorne, on the vampire series, 'Angel'

Raised in the Cape Cod village of Osterville, Massachusetts, Hallett appeared on more than 70 episodes of the "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" spinoff, "Angel," between 2000 and 2004. The accomplished actor was also a musician who sang two songs, "Lady Marmalade" and "It's Not Easy Being Green," on the "Angel: Live Fast, Die Never" soundtrack, released in 2005.

The actor's character on "Angel" was Krevlornswath of the Deathwok Clan, or Lorne for short. Hallett's Lorne was a friendly demon, who, when not assisting Angel and his team in the investigation of various and sundry underworld mysteries, served as the host and headliner at a demon karaoke bar.

Back in 2001, Hallett said that despite constant flirtation with David Boreanaz' character, Angel, and the occasional sly Elton John reference, "We don't really know if he's gay. I don't really know. It's funny, because sometimes he's right in Angel's face, and that's when I feel it the most. And viewers would probably think, hmm, what's going on here? This guy's pretty curvy."

During the run of "Angel," Hallett appeared in two other small productions: "The Enforcers," a TV miniseries directed by "Angel" writer Mere Smith in 2001 and "Chance," a film directed by "Buffy" Actress Amber Benson in 2002.

Actor Andy Hallett signs autographs for his fans at

a meet and greet event during a comic convention

According to a 2005 interview, about a month after filming the last episode of "Angel," Hallett suffered a dental infection which spread through the bloodstream to his heart, leading to a case of cardiomyopathy, for which he spent five days in the hospital. Although he recovered, his heart muscle and valves were weakened and he found himself easily fatigued afterward.

After his diagnosis, Hallett did not return to acting except for a voice part in the animated film, "Geppetto's Secret." He spent the past five years pursuing his music career and frequently appearing at media conventions for "Buffy" and "Angel" as well as science fiction and fantasy shows in general around the country.

Hallett, an only child, is survived by his father, Dave Hallett and mother, Lori Hallett. A private funeral service will be held for family and close friends in Cape Cod. Another Angel castmember, Glenn Quinn, who played Doyle in season one, passed away in 2002.