Quindon Tarver, child singer who appeared in ‘Romeo + Juliet’, dies at 38

Quindon Tarver, who sang the solo on “Everybody’s Free (To Feel Good)” during the title characters’ wedding in Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet and later appeared on American Idol, has died. He was 38.

Quindon Tarver dead at 38

Tarver died April 1 in a car crash in Dallas, Texas, his uncle Kevin Tarver told The Dallas Morning News.

Kevin told the Dallas paper that his nephew “was getting ready to make his comeback.”

“He had been in the studio working on a project that was supposed to be released this year,” he said.

Quindon Tarver

He was a talented singer

Tarver sang in Baz Luhrmann’s iconic take on William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet as a young boy, and his covers of Rozalla’s “Everybody’s Free (To Feel Good)” and Prince’s “When Doves Cry” appeared on the film’s soundtrack.

A few years after his Romeo + Juliet role, he appeared on two seasons of American Idol.

In a tribute to Quindon on Instagram, Luhrmann shared a clip of Quindon singing during on-set rehearsals.

“A beautiful soul has passed, my thoughts are with Quindon Tarver’s family and loved ones,” the director wrote in the caption.

Quindon Tarver started singing at a young age

Quindon was born in McKinney, Texas, and began singing in church choirs when he was four years old, he said in a 2017 interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

“I started singing in my grandfather’s church,” he added. “He was the pastor.”

He continued, “I realized from a young age that this was what I wanted to do. I liked the way that people were moved by it, how it affected them. I would see the effect on them when I would sing and it just amazed me.”

He signed with Virgin Records at 12, and also appeared in Madonna’s “Like a Prayer” music video as a child.