Kevin Clark, a Chicago musician famous for playing the drummer Freddy “Spazzy McGee” Jones on “School of Rock,” was struck and killed by a driver early Wednesday while he biked in the Avondale neighborhood.
Clark, 32, was struck by a Hyundai Sonata around 1:20 a.m. in the 2600 block of North Western Avenue, police said.
Paramedics found him at Logan Boulevard and took him to Illinois Masonic Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 2:04 a.m., according to the Chicago Fire Department and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.
The driver of the car that hit him, a 20-year-old woman, was issued citations, police said.
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Clark lived in Lake View East and had played in several bands, including his most recent project, Jess Bess and the Intentions, which had its first live show on Saturday, according to his mother Allison Clark.
“He’s just a raw talent. He’s got a heart of gold,” Clark said Wednesday.
Kevin Clark grew up in Highland Park and started playing drums at age 3 by “hitting pots and pans in the basement,” his mother said.
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At 12 years old, Clark broke into the movie business after securing a role in the 2003 hit “School of Rock” with Jack Black. Clark played an outspoken kid who was the band’s drummer.
Clark’s mother recalled how he had no acting experience but relished the experience after a friend brought him to the auditions.
“He just kind of shined,” Clark said of her son. “He took it on right away, but he never really acted afterward.”
Although he may not have continued acting, music remained in his blood.
