‘School of Rock’ Actor Kevin Clark Dies at 32

Author Erica Banas // Rock Music Reporter

May 26th, 2021 4:24 PM

School of Rock actor Kevin Clark, who played drummer Freddy Jones, has died at the age of 32.

Per TMZ, Clark died in the early hours of Wednesday morning (May 26) after being struck by a motorist while he was riding his bicycle on the Northwest side of Chicago. The Cook County Medical Examiner reports he was rushed to a nearby hospital, but he was pronounced dead at 2:04 AM CT.

Clark’s lone acting credit was School of Rock, which was released in 2003. Clark was an aspiring musician, with TMZ noting he briefly reunited with the film’s star Jack Black in 2018 at a Tenacious D show where he gifted Black a t-shirt from his own band, Dreadwolf.

‘School of Rock’ & 11 Other Music Movies Everyone Should Watch

• ‘School of Rock’

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  It's the movie that made you wish your substitute teacher was Jack Black and also a reminder of the power of music education.

• ‘Empire Records’

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  A band of misfits at an independent record store that's dealing with drama AND trying to prevent the store from being bought by a major corporate chain AND the soundtrack is incredible?  Damn the man, indeed!

• ‘Almost Famous’

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  Easily one of the most iconic music films of all time, 'Almost Famous' earned writer/director Cameron Crowe an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay and rightfully so.
• ‘High Fidelity’

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  A music movie for music nerds by music nerds. Plus, Barry, played perfectly by Jack Black, has one of the best monologues ever when describing Stevie Wonder's "I Just Called To Say I Love You."

• ‘Rock Star’

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  Loosely inspired by Tim "Ripper" Owens who replaced Rob Halford in Judas Priest after he left the band in 1991, 'Rock Star' has an inherent cheese-factor, but it's undeniably entertaining with a stellar soundtrack to boot.

• ‘Airheads’

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  Three not-so-bright musicians hold a radio station hostage (with plastic guns, no less) in order for their demo to get played on the air.  Surprise!  Wackiness ensues!  Also, it's just a fun and funny movie that features the best cop joke of all time.
• ‘Sing Street’

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  Based in 1980s Dublin, a teenage boy starts a band to win over a pretty girl. Add in a wise older brother to help guide the musical way, and you have one of the best music movies released in the past decade.

• ‘Hedwig and the Angry Inch’

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  The film adaptation of the hit off-Broadway play that eventually made it to Broadway and was a massive success, 'Hedwig and the Angry Inch' follows the story of a trans frontwoman on a quest for fame after all of her songs were stolen to launch the career of a former musical partner and boyfriend.

• ‘Once’

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  It's the classic tale of an Irish street performer meets a classically trained musician and discovers electric chemistry.  The film features an incredibly beautiful original soundtrack and won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 2007.
• ‘Velvet Goldmine’

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  It's like a glam version of 'Eddie and the Cruisers' but way better!  Characters are definitely inspired by David Bowie and Iggy Pop, and the film features the incredible cast of Ewan McGregor, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Christian Bale, Toni Collette and Eddie Izzard.

• ‘The Blues Brothers’

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  An obvious choice for this list, but there has to be at least one obvious pick on this list.  Frankly, if you haven't seen 'The Blues Brothers,' stop reading this list and find a way to watch it.

• ‘The Commitments’

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  This is the third film on this list that's based in Ireland, and while 'Sing Street' and 'Once' are incredible films, they may not have happened without 'The Commitments,' which follows the formation of a soul band in the working-class neighborhoods of the northside of Dublin.  (Side note:  Glen Hansard who stars in 'Once' is in 'The Commitments' as lead guitarist "Outspan" Foster.)

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Author Erica Banas // Rock Music Reporter

Category:

• 105.5 WDHA
• Celebs

Tags:

Celebrity Deaths,School of Rock