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Alvin Ing passed away this past July 31, according to Deadline, the cause of death is yet to be announced. This tragic news was confirmed by Shushu Entertaining, the company representative of Ing. He was known for his part in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Flower Drum Song. He was just 89 years of age upon his passing.
Alvin Ing’s Early Life
He was born on May 26, 1932 in Honolulu, Hawaii. And attended the University of Hawaii where he would study music, then, at the age of 25, he would end up going to Columbia University in New York. And while there he would be involved in a lot of Off Broadway plays and touring stage productions.
Professional Life
In 1976, Alvin Ing would finally make his Broadway debut in Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman’s Pacific Overtures where he played Shogun’s mother. Ing would later reprise his role in 2004 when the musical was revived by B.D. Wong.
Ing is best known as a Broadway pioneer, as he was heavily involved with the Theater for Asian American Performing Artists. Along with that, he would also protest Asian American stereotypes. In 2002 he would appear in a rendition of Rodgers and Hammerstein‘s Flower Drum Song.
Broadway wasn’t his only venue where he would perform, as Alvin Ing also did television shows, cabarets, and movies. Some of the more notable television shows include Charlie’s Angels (1981), Dallas, Dynasty, and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Ing also auditioned for The X-Factor in 2014 and that same year he would also appear in The Gambler starring Mark Wahlberg.
And in 2018 Ing would publicly come out as gay, and he says that the reason for doing it was because:
Lainie Sakakura, who put my act together, she convinced me that I was old enough not to be so reticent about it. In a way, it was very satisfying, but I really would like to do it for the gay community…Because, number one, I’m old, I’m Asian, and I’m gay, so maybe it would be, I don’t know, an inspiration for other people.”
Our condolences go to Ing’s family during this sad time.
