Rob Guest, the 57-year old star of Wicked and the world`s longest running Phantom in Phantom of the Opera, has died of a stroke at the age of 57.
Guest suffered the massive stoke on Tuesday night at his home on Melbourne.Guest, who plays The Wizard in the Australian production of Wicked, was taken to St. Vincent’s Hospital suffering from bleeding from the brain and died overnight.
Rob Guest was one of the most popular and famous musical actors on the Australian stage.
The English born actor started his career as a Pop Star in New Zealand in the 70s and then moved to Las Vegas to host the shows on the strip during the 80s.
He came back to Australia to take a main role in Les Miserables and then in 1991 became The Phantom. Over the next 9 years, he became the most enduring Phantom in the world, having played a record 2289 performances in the role.
In July this year, Guest took up the key role of the Wizard in Wicked. The show set a box office record after its opening in Melbourne on July 12. The $18 million production has already grossed $27 million in ticket sales.
Rob’s family flew into Melbourne from New Zealand to be by his side. His children Christopher,19 and Amy,17, and their mother Judy Barnes as well as Rob’s current partner Kellie Dickerson were with him for his final moments.
