Dream Street Singer Chris Trousdale Dead of Complications from the Coronavirus at 34

Chris Trousdale, of the late '90s and early 2000s boy band Dream Street, has died. He was 34.

The news was confirmed by a statement shared to his Instagram, which read, "It is with a heavy heart that we confirm the passing of Chris Trousdale on June, 2, 2020 from an undisclosed illness. He was a light to so many and will be missed dearly by his family, friends and fans all over the world."

"Although it felt like he belonged to us all, the family is requesting that you respect their privacy at this time of grieving," the statement continued. "Should you wish to make a donation in his honor, please give to ASPCA."

In the comments section of the singer's latest Instagram of a black square posted in solidarity with "Blackout Tuesday" for George Floyd, a woman named Jane Gagle (who appears to have worked at the Pacific Ballet Dance Theatre with him) wrote that he "left this earth at 8:44 pm yesterday after a horrible battle with acute strep infection that shut down his body."

"Chris was in a coma, on life support when he passed," Gagle's comment continued. "The outpouring of love has been tremendous. I am comforted by the hundreds of kind words and wishes. Chris was one of a kind and always the brightest light on any stage he stood on. Thank you for the love you gave him. He felt it to the end and I’m sure still as he watches from heaven."

In wake of Trousdale's death, his former Dream Street bandmate Jesse McCartney shared a tribute to him on Instagram.

"It pains me to say that an old friend, Chris Trousdale, from my early days in the music industry has passed away due to complications from COVID-19," McCartney captioned a photo of Trousdale. "Chris had an explosively charming personality with boundless amounts of talent."

"Together we made up two of the five members of a boyband called DreamStreet," he continued. "We were young kids with budding talent who shared an overwhelming love for music and performing. Chris, in my opinion, was the most popular among us, who had a way of drawing every eye to what he was doing on stage. As an incredibly trained dancer, he would pick up an entire dance number in a matter of minutes; something that would take us days. I truly envied him as a performer."

McCartney, 33, went on to write that they "were a part of something people never get to experience in an entire lifetime at the tender ages of 12 and 14."

"Although we were a band for only 3 years, at that age, it feels like a lifetime and we built a real brotherhood," he wrote. "In later years, we would grow apart as our lives would take different turns, but I would often reflect on our early days together and think about how exciting it all was. My deepest sympathies go out to his mother whom I know cherished him dearly. RIP Chris. I’ll never forget your smile. #DreamStreet #ChrisTrousdale."

Trousdale started his career at 8 years old when he joined the touring company of Les Misérables. He later joined the Broadway company of the musical and went on to star in The Sound of Music, Beauty and the Beast, The Wizard of Oz and the Radio City Christmas Spectacular.

He joined Dream Street in 1999 with McCartney and fellow members Greg Raposo, Matt Ballinger and Frankie Galasso. The group went on to find success with hits like "It Happens Every Time" and "Feel the Rain" before disbanding in 2002, due to the legal issues between the boys' parents and management.

Before Dream Street disbanded, Trousdale had already started embarking on a solo career, with a feature on girl group Play's "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me" in 2001. According to Broadway World, he put his career on hold in 2006 to take care of his mother.

Trousdale returned to music in 2019, with his latest single "Summer."

In addition to his music career, Trousdale appeared on TV shows including Days of Our Lives, Shake It Up, Austin & Ally and Lucifer.

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