Romeo + Juliet choir boy Quindon Tarver dies in car crash aged 38

Quindon Tarver, who was best known as the choir boy singer in 1996’s Romeo + Juliet, has died aged 38.

The star was killed in a motor vehicle accident in Dallas, Texas after he crashed his car into a wall on the President George Bush Turnpike on Friday (April 2), his family has confirmed.

Speaking to The Daily Beast, his uncle Willie Tarver stated: ‘He had an accident. All we know is he had a wreck, crashed into a wall somewhere on George Bush [Turnpike]. That’s all the information I have.’

Tarver featured in two pivotal scenes in Baz Luhrmann’s highly successful adaptation of the William Shakespeare play, which famously starred Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes.

He won over viewers with his moving renditions of Rozalla’s track, Everybody’s Free (To Feel Good) and Prince’s iconic single, When Doves Cry.

The songs were included on the movie’s soundtrack album, which sold some 2 million copies.

Born in McKinney, Texas, Tarver started out singing in church choirs before appearing in films and music videos. In 1996, he released a solo album, Quindon.

Tarver also appeared in Madonna’s Like a Prayer video, while he auditioned on seasons two and seven of American Idol.

In 2017, Tarver claimed his early career had been derailed after he was molested by someone in the music industry.

He told ABC News at the time: ‘I was hurting. I had been molested, I had been raped, I had lost my career, which is what I had dreamed of doing all my life.

‘I had to come back home because someone did something to me … I began drinking and dabbling in drugs and I lost it, man. I spiralled completely.’

After returning to Texas, Tarver said he struggled with drugs, alcohol and suicidal thoughts.

In 2016, Tarver was invited to sing When Doves Cry at a Prince tribute in Los Angeles.

He said the performance was a turning point in his life, and motivated him to go to rehab and to resume his singing career.

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