Celebrity Dream Street member Chris Trousdale dies at 34 By Maureen Lee Lenker Maureen Lee Lenker Maureen Lee Lenker is a senior writer at Entertainment Weekly with over seven years of experience in the entertainment industry. An award-winning journalist, she's written for Turner Classic Movies, Ms. Magazine, The Hollywood Reporter, and more. She's worked at EW for six years covering film, TV, theater, music, and books. The author of EW's quarterly romance review column, "Hot Stuff," Maureen holds Master's degrees from both the University of Southern California and the University of Oxford. Her debut novel, It Happened One Fight, is now available. Follow her for all things related to classic Hollywood, musicals, the romance genre, and Bruce Springsteen. EW's editorial guidelines Published on June 3, 2020 05:24PM EDT Photo: Maury Phillips/WireImage Chris Trousdale, the recording artist and actor best known as a member of early-2000s boy band Dream Street, has died at 34. Representatives for Trousdale confirmed his death to EW. "It is with a heavy heart that we confirm the passing of Chris Trousdale on June 2, 2020, from an undisclosed illness," they said in a statement. "He was a light to so many and will be missed dearly by his family, friends and fans all over the world. Although it felt like he belonged to us all, the family is requesting that you respect their privacy at this time of grieving. Should you wish to make a donation in his honor, please give to ASPCA." Trousdale joined Dream Street in 1999, at age 14, after being scouted by producers while performing on Broadway. The group — consisting of Trousdale, Jesse McCartney, Greg Raposo, Matt Ballinger, and Frankie Galasso — released their self-titled debut album in 2001, which hit No. 1 on Billboard's Independent Albums chart its first week of release. It went on to sell 1 million copies nationwide. Dream Street's biggest single, "It Happens Every Time," peaked at No. 48 on the charts. The group broke up in 2002, following legal disputes between the boys' parents and their management. Trousdale went on to pursue a solo career, aligning closely with the Disney Channel. His notable tracks included"Kissless Christmas" and "Wild Christmas," for the School's Out! Christmas album. He also found success on two duets, with the girl group Play (a rendition of "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me") and solo artist Nikki Cleary (a cover of the Grease track "You're the One That I Want"). Born July 11, 1985, Trousdale launched his career as a child actor on Broadway. He was a member of the children's group the Broadway Kids, an organization that includes Christy Carlson Romano, Jenna Ushkowitz, and Lacey Chabert among its former members. Trousdale retreated from the spotlight in 2006 but had returned to Hollywood in recent years. He guest-starred on Days of Our Lives, Shake It Up, Austin & Ally, and Lucifer. He also auditioned for NBC's The Voice in 2012 but didn't make it past auditions. He announced plans to record a solo album in 2014, and last year released a single, "Summer," which is streaming on Spotify. Related content: Stars we lost in 2020