Longtime The Lion King Broadway Cast Member Ben Lipitz Passes Away at 58

Longtime The Lion King Broadway Cast Member Ben Lipitz Passes Away at 58

Long-tenured performer Ben Lipitz passed away on April 18. Lipitz will be mourned by his Lion King family and the theatrical community following his passing at the age of 58. News of his passing was confirmed to Playbill.com via Disney Theatricals press representative Dennis Crowley.

Lipitz helped raise millions for “Broadway Cares” throughout his storied career on stage. He is best known for portraying Pumbaa in Disney’s The Lion King for over 6,000 performances that spanned a decade on both Broadway and national tours of the production, making him one of the longest-tenured performers in the history of the show, which celebrates 25 years on Broadway.

Related: Tom Cruise & James Corden Surprise Appearance in Disney’s The Lion King

In addition to his work on The Lion King, Lipitz was active in regional theater, most notably Philadelphia’s Walnut Street Theatre, where Mr. Lipitz starred in The Producers, Art, and Laughter on the 23rd Floor.

The April 19 performances of The Lion King on Broadway and its national tour in Ohio were dedicated to Mr. Lipitz. Disney Theatrical said, “Tonight, we celebrate the life of our dear friend and colleague Ben Lipitz. Ben was part of The Lion King for over 20 years, performing as Pumbaa for over 6,000 performances on Broadway and across the country. Ben is forever a part of our family.”

“In addition to his time with The Lion King, Ben produced over 100 concerts for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, The Entertainment Community Fund, and The Jewish Federation of Southern New Jersey. Over his many years on tour, Ben raised an astounding $3,425,139.22 for Broadway Cares. Ben’s legacy of centering the needs of others is immeasurable. 

“Ben is survived by his wife Rosalie, his son Matthew, and his daughter Mikaela. His laughter and spirit will be deeply missed, for he was one of a kind.

“Please join us in honoring Ben at this performance.”

Let our friends at Destinations to Travel help you book your next Disney Vacation. They are the preferred Travel Agency of Chip and Company and Disney Addicts, and who we use ourselves.

Get started below for your FREE No Obligation Quote.

Book With our friends at Destinations to Travel

Who is your Travel Agent?(Required)

Let us pick for youEric HilesStacy ReedAbbey JohnsonAlisa SullivanAlli WillisAmanda FolsomAmanda VannAmber BrillhartAmber FisherAmy SieburnAndrea SmithAngela AndersonAngie BaycuraAnna PetrilliAnnabelle DuboseApril StefanskiAshley RamseyBeth ParsonsBetsy SantoroBrandie McQueenBrian BuckleyBridget HatchBryan SchwartzCandice SneedCarrie ButlerCarson DockumCasey BoltCharleen HortonChelsea RoyChelsea WuebkerChris BoyerChristie GrubeChristina FratturaChristina SmithCourtney WhiteCraig YoderDan MercedDanielle NorcrossDarby MouritsenDavid ForrestDeborah AlvaradoEmilee BiegelEmily MorrisFaith HakesGail HatchGreg MatzkerHelen HummerHolly CurryJackie CavistonJaclyn PepitoneJamie SwansonJeanine JordanJeff CallahanJenni MaierJennifer BrownJennifer StephensonJennifer StoessnerJessica HatfieldJessica HuffJessica WunderJoe GuertinJon CarpentierJoseph SliwaJulie McCombJustin BrownKat AttridgeKathryn EberhartKathy AndersonKatie HarrellKatie PrevotKayla CookKelsey SullensKim HelmsKimberly HutchinsonKristi GallagherKyle RamsdenLauren DewlenLeanne MonterLinda DurhamLindsay AckermannLindsey VromanLissette BritoLori HardyMallory MorrisonMandi QuinnMaranda PerkinsMarisa AlvaradoMegan TeismannMeghan BlairMelissa ReedMichele KlineMike BeyerMissy McCormickMisty DickersonNancy CasteelNicole ThorntonPatrick O'ConnorPaul SulPeyton Ward-KubikRaylene CooganRegan OstranderRobbie BulusRobert ThomasSara SolbergSarah McCandlishShanna BrowningShelley BennettShelly MetzStacy CristStacy KrzyminskiStacy SmithStephanie DraganoStephanie FerencStephanie WalshSusannah McCordTara SlusserTerri MillerTiffany DobraskiTiffany DrenkhahnTina FarmerTonya LesiukTracy DaneTroy DuncanVeronica RenteriaVicki FesslerWendy CarllWendy HauserWendy KellehanWendy Shelley

Name(Required)

First Last

Email(Required)

Phone(Required)

Destination(Required)

Walt Disney WorldDisneyland ResortDisney Cruise LineAulani, A Disney Resort and SpaAulani, A Disney Resort and SpaUniversal FloridaUniversal HollywoodRoyal Caribbean, Carnival, Norwegian or other Cruise LineI don't know yet

# of Adults(Required)

# of Children(Required)

Check-in-Date(Required)

MM slash DD slash YYYY

Check-out-Date(Required)

MM slash DD slash YYYY

Comments, Questions or Special Requests

Email

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Δ

For the BEST in Disney, Universal, Dollywood, and SeaWorld Theme Park News, Entertainment, Merchandise & More follow us on, Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube. Don't forget to check out the Chip and Company Radio Network too!