Broadway star Nick Cordero had his leg amputated due to coronavirus-related complications

Cordero has been in a medically induced coma since April 1

Tony Award-nominated actor Nick Cordero has had his leg amputated after suffering complications from the coronavirus, his wife Amanda Koots said on Instagram. AFP

Broadway star Nick Cordero has had his right leg amputated due to coronavirus-related complications.

The Canadian-born actor, who is known for portraying tough guys and mobsters on stage, has been battling Covid-19 for more than two weeks.

He is perhaps best-known for playing a mob soldier with an affinity for the theatre in the 2014 stage adaptation of Woody Allen's Bullets for Broadway. The role earned him a nomination for a Tony award for best actor in a musical.

His wife, Amanda Kloots, shared news of the surgery on her Instagram on Saturday, April 18, saying the blood thinners being used to treat the clotting in her husband’s leg were causing blood pressure problems and internal bleeding in his intestines.

Kloots has been keeping fans updated about her husband’s health since he was admitted to the intensive care unit of a hospital in Los Angeles on Tuesday, March 31.

The Tony Award-nominated actor was first thought to be suffering from pneumonia and an initial coronavirus test came back negative. However, a subsequent test proved he had contracted the virus.

Cordero was put in a medically induced coma on Wednesday, April 1 to help with his breathing. He has been sedated and breathing through a ventilator since. In the past few days, he began having clotting problems in his right leg, where the blood could not reach his toes.

“We took him off blood thinners, but that again was going to cause some clotting in the right leg, so the right leg will be amputated today,” Kloots said on her Instagram on Saturday. Later that day, she shared an update saying Cordero’s surgery had gone well.

“He made it through the surgery, which is really big because obviously his body is pretty weak,” Kloots said. “Hopefully, he’ll just kind of relax and rest.”

She has also started a hashtag #wakeupnick, asking fans to send her videos of themselves dancing and imploring her husband to wake up.

Kloots also said that a GoFundMe campaign was started by their friends to help the couple pay for hospital bills and make their home wheelchair-accessible.

“I’m really blown away guys ... I want to thank anyone that has given anything that they can,” she said. “It’s just overwhelming, I really thank you so much.”