Actor Kyle Jean-Baptiste dies after accident

Kyle Jean-Baptiste died after falling from a fire escape at his mother's home in Brooklyn, New York. He died Friday night following the musical's evening performance at the Imperial Theatre, according to representative Marc Thibodeau.

Police said that Jean-Baptiste's death "appeared to be accidental." He fell from the fourth-floor fire escape of an apartment where he had been sitting with a female friend. He stood up, slipped and fell backwards, according to the statement.

Jean-Baptiste was an ensemble member of "Les Miserables" on Broadway and an understudy for lead character Jean Valjean. He went onstage as the ex-convict in a history-making appearance on July 23.

"The entire Les Miserables family is shocked and devastated by the sudden and tragic loss of Kyle, a remarkable young talent and tremendous person who made magic - and history - in his Broadway debut," the production said in a #link:https://www.facebook.com/LesMizBway/photos/a.605913136110083.1073741828.574330832601647/1047217365312989/?type=1&theater:Facebook statement#.

"The tragic loss of Kyle to our company, just as he was on the threshold of a brilliant career, is a numbing reminder of how precious life is," the show's producer, Cameron Mackintosh, said in a statement #link:http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/30/nyregion/kyle-jean-baptiste-actor-in-les-miserables-dies-in-fall.html:quoted in the New York Times#.

British opera star Alfie Boe is due to take over the role of Valjean and he was one of many artists to comment on social media:

A native of New York, the 6-foot-2-inch (1.87 meter) tenor had recently landed two musical roles in "Murder Ballad" and "Love Story." After his July debut Jean-Baptiste told Playbill magazine: "I did not immediately think of it as making history. This was my dream since I was a little boy. I felt a huge amount of responsibility to do right by them and to honor this iconic material."

In one of his last tweets, sent Tuesday, Jean-Baptiste showed gratitude for his friends and fans: "I thank everyone who supported me and still does. I will never forget this experience. Onwards and upwards," he wrote. "Nothing but love."

He was scheduled to leave "Les Miserables" on September 6 to join the Broadway production of "The Color Purple."

jm/jr (AP, Twitter)