Jack Black is leading the tributes that have been pouring in for "School of Rock" star Kevin Clark, who died Wednesday at age 32 after he was struck by a car while riding a bicycle.
"Devastating news. Kevin is gone. Way too soon. Beautiful soul. So many great memories. Heartbroken. Sending love to his family and the whole School of Rock community," Black captioned photos of himself with Clark, who played drummer Freddy Jones in the 2003 film.
Actress Rivkah Reyes, who played bassist Katie in "School of Rock," also took to Instagram to pay homage to Clark.
"i'm absolutely heartbroken. kev was my first friend on set. we instantly connected over being jews from chicago," she captioned a throwback photo of herself posing with Clark in the outfits they wore in the movie's final scene in which their band performed on stage.
"He introduced me to green day and was the catalyst for my pop punk phase (which hasn't ended.) he was always supportive of me and my endeavors. his family would often come to my comedy shows and plays, and every time tenacious D was in town, we would go together. we would sometimes run into each other randomly in chicago and he always gave me the biggest, warmest hugs."
Miranda Cosgrove, who played the band's manager in the film, remembered Clark as an "amazing soul."
"Stunned and saddened by this news today," she wrote in an Instagram post. "The world lost an amazing soul. I’ll always remember your spirit and how kind you were to me. I’ll never forget all the memories. You’ll always be missed Kevin."
Clark sustained multiple blunt force injuries after he was struck by a Hyundai Sonata driven by a 20-year-old female, the Chicago Police Department told USA Today. He had been cycling in the Avondale area of the city when the incident took place. The driver was issued citations but the death was ruled an accident, according to the outlet. Clark was rushed to the Illinois Masonic Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead just after 2 a.m.
Clark's only big film role was in "School of Rock" however, his love for music continued after the film's success. He formed several bands, with his most recent, Jess Bess and the Intentions, having performed for the first time over the weekend on the North Shore, according to Chicago Sun-Times.
"He told his bandmates just yesterday: 'You know, this is finally the life I want to live. And we’re going to make it. You’re my musical family — my family — and we’re all going to make it,'" his mother Allison Clark told the outlet.
She added that her son's death made no sense to her.
"You know, we’re all really in shock. It was just this morning," she said. "He was just a 32-year-old kid. It doesn’t make sense. A lot of our jammer friends — mostly 65-plus — have lost their lives recently. So hopefully he’s up there jamming in the sky with them."
Related Stories:
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.