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*IN MEMORY OF MICHAEL CUCCIONE*
~01-16-01~ Michael Cuccione, who played the engaging Jason "Q.T." McKnight on the boy-band spoof "2gether," died of natural causes Saturday night in his hometown of Vancouver, British Columbia, just eight days after his 16th birthday. "His lungs just gave out," his uncle, also named Michael Cuccione, said on Tuesday (January 16). "We weren't really expecting it." Cuccione had been fighting respiratory problems for several months and did not appear in the last several episodes of the popular series, which aired on MTV. While Cuccione's character was afflicted with the fictional "biliary thrombosis," in real life, the teen had previously suffered from Hodgkin's disease, a form of cancer affecting the lymph nodes. The cancer, first diagnosed in July 1994 when Cuccione was 9, was treated with five months of chemotherapy, but returned the following year and spread to his lungs. However, more aggressive chemotherapy, radiation and a successful bone marrow transplant kept him cancer-free. According to Cuccione's uncle, the singer/actor's cancer had not returned in five years, but past treatments had left him unable to move air properly through his lungs. He developed a problem with his diaphragm and was forced to tape episodes of "2gether" with a portable oxygen machine in tow. Cuccione was unable to fight off the effects of a minor Vancouver-area car accident in early December, and he entered the hospital on December 4 with pneumonia. He spent the rest of his stay on a respirator before succumbing to respiratory failure on January 13. A well-known campaigner for cancer research and awareness following his bout with the disease, the singer/actor established the charitable Michael Cuccione Foundation for Cancer Research and turned a love of music into a fund-raising effort by recording a five-song CD, Make a Difference. He also co-authored a book with his grandmother, There Are Survivors: The Michael Cuccione Story," about his experiences. His efforts eventually raised close to $500,000 (CDN), which was donated to the B.C. Children's Hospital. In July 1997, a request to meet "Baywatch" star David Hasselhoff led to an acting role on an episode of the show playing real-life cancer victim Charlie Dodson Hays, and more roles followed. The producers of "2gether" had already arranged to shoot the movie and ultimately the spin-off TV series in Vancouver when they discovered Cuccione and cast him in the part of Q.T., the "cute one." The series was an immediate hit, as was the soundtrack album. The group even took on concert performances, most notably opening seven shows for Britney Spears . A memorial service is being held for Cuccione in Vancouver Wednesday evening with the funeral set for Thursday morning. Both are open to the public, according to his family. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Cuccione's memory to the Michael Cuccione Foundation, Box 31081, 2929 St. John's Street, Port Moody, B.C, Canada, V3H 4T4. ~01-19-01~ Thousands of friends, family and fans packed a church in a Vancouver, British Columbia, suburb on Wednesday evening and again Thursday morning to mourn Michael "Q.T." Cuccione, the youngest star of MTV's boy-band parody, "2gether." Cuccione died January 13 after his lungs collapsed following a bout with pneumonia. Treatments during the 16-year-old's past two battles with Hodgkin's disease left him unable to move air properly through his lungs . All four of Cuccione's 2gether bandmates attended the services in Burnaby, British Columbia, including Jerry Farmer (Jerry O'Keefe), Noah Bastian (Chad Linus), Alex Solowitz (Mickey Parke) and a visibly shaken Kevin Farley (Doug Linus). "Baywatch" actor David Hasselhoff, a close friend of Cuccione's and the man who gave him his first break in acting, delivered a eulogy and a song dedicated to the teen at Wednesday's service. Both events included a 75-member choir from Cuccione's Catholic high school. Among the displays were a picture of Cuccione being blessed by the pope, a giant poster of Cuccione with a teddy bear and masses of wreaths and flowers. A huge procession of limousines, cars, police escorts and even fire trucks on Thursday accompanied Cuccione's casket through the streets of greater Vancouver, where he had been revered as a personable and gutsy cancer survivor, research activist and fund-raiser, as well as an actor and performer. According to "2gether" executive producer Brian Gunn, the cast members' grief was genuine. "They really were close friends," Gunn said. The cast and crew had worked together for well over a year. "2gether" had first been shot as an MTV original movie that aired last February, but its popularity led to an album, tour dates and a TV series that debuted in August. According to sources in Vancouver, where both the movie and the series were shot, Cuccione's recent heath problems first surfaced in the fall. The actor missed three episodes that were taped in September and October, and was hospitalized for two of the last six shows taped over November and December. His role in the episodes in which he did appear was reduced to accommodate his lack of stamina. The "2gether" storyline had Q.T., who suffered from the fictional disease "biliary thrombosis," off promoting his book, "Living With My Liver," for his first hiatus. Sources say the last set of shows taped dealt with the return of the character. At least one other episode dealt with Q.T.'s fictional illness at length. While most of those episodes are expected to air with the blessings of the Cuccione family, the future of the series beyond those shows remains unknown, sources at MTV said. It's a safe bet the producers will not recast the role of Q.T, though thought may be given to adding another bandmember should the show continue, sources said. "The original plan was to air those episodes, and then take it from there," one source said. "Obviously, the ratings and other factors would have played a part in the final decision, so we were never sure of the future of the series, and that remains the case at this time." According to Gunn, the show's producers remain sensitive to the wishes of the family, and while the family has wholeheartedly endorsed the airing of the episodes taped with Cuccione, it has not commented on the possibility of continuing the show without the young star. Gunn also said plans for a tribute to Cuccione are being discussed.
Interviews he had
HIS LAST MESSAGE TO THE WORLD
A VERY TOUCHING MESSAGE
