Life Your Life: My Story of Loving and Losing Nick Cordero by Amanda Kloots with Anna Kloots

There is a bright light in the middle of this pandemic and her name is Amanda Kloots. I started following her on Instagram from the very beginning when her 41-year-old husband, Broadway start Nick Cordero, was admitted to Cedar with flu like symptoms. Unable to visit him in the hospital at first, Amanda would sing his song “Live Your Life” every afternoon. The more she sang, the more followers she inspired. I would wake up every morning and read that day’s post, and then I would go to sleep every night after seeing her Instagram story. When I heard she had written a book about losing Nick to Covid, I didn’t want to hear it on audio, or check it out of the library, I wanted to own it and hold her words in my hands. I thought I knew a lot about her marriage, but the book gave me so much more. It showed me that her marriage, like any marriage, was not perfect and that moving to Laurel Canyon was Nick’s dream rather than hers. But the book, which did make me cry at times, was more than anything, a testament to the love of her family and friends. The relationships she has with her family are incredible, but most especially with her sister Anna and her brother Todd. I have never had a big brother, but if I could conjure up one, he would be exactly like Todd who is strong and supportive, and ready to do anything for his sister. At the center of the book is her infant son Elvis, who celebrated his first birthday as Nick was fighting for his life in the hospital. Amanda’s memoir highlights the confusion and injustice surrounding Covid during the months that led up to Nick’s death. Like so many others, I prayed that he would be taken off the ventilator, and return home to his beautiful wife and son. But that did not happen. Despite the loss and grief, Amanda is still running her fitness company, and is now a talk show host, too. I still follow her on Instagram and recently she announced she is starting to date. She remains the shining light of survival in all of this for me, and I’m so grateful she continues to share her family with us.  To purchase this book on Amazon click here