Michael James Cuccione (January 5, 1985 – January 13, 2001) was a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

child actor, singer, dancer, author, and cancer research activist. He was best known for his role as "Q.T." in the fictional boy band 2gether.

Biography

Personal life

Cuccione was born in

Burnaby Burnaby is a city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada. Located in the centre of the Burrard Peninsula, it neighbours the City of Vancouver to the west, the District of North Vancouver across the confluence of the Burrard I ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

, and raised in neighbouring

Coquitlam Coquitlam ( ) is a city in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, Canada. Mainly suburban, Coquitlam is the List of cities in British Columbia, sixth-largest city in the province, with a population of 148,625 in 2021, and one of the 21 municipa ...

Entertainment career

In July 1997, a request Cuccione made to meet ''

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'' star

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led to a role in an episode on the show as real-life cancer patient Charlie Everett Dodson Hays. The producers of '' 2ge+her'' had already agreed to shoot the movie (and later the series) in

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

when they discovered Cuccione and cast him in the part of Jason "QT" McKnight. The series was an immediate hit, as was the subsequent soundtrack from the show. The spoof boy band became so popular with fans and artists that they went on tour and opened for

Britney Spears Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the " Princess of Pop", she is credited with influencing the revival of teen pop during the late 1990s and early 2000s. After appearing in stage productio ...

. Both soundtracks hit the

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. The 2ge+her movie was released on February 21, 2000, and the series soon followed on August 15 of that same year, on

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's ''10 Spot''.

Illness and advocacy

In 1994, when Cuccione was 9, he was diagnosed with stage 2A

Hodgkin's lymphoma Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) is a type of lymphoma, in which cancer originates from a specific type of white blood cell called lymphocytes, where multinucleated Reed–Sternberg cells (RS cells) are present in the patient's lymph nodes. The condition wa ...

, a form of cancer affecting the lymph nodes. It was treated with five months of

chemotherapy Chemotherapy (often abbreviated to chemo and sometimes CTX or CTx) is a type of cancer treatment that uses one or more anti-cancer drugs (chemotherapeutic agents or alkylating agents) as part of a standardized chemotherapy regimen. Chemotherap ...

, but returned the following year. His second bout with the disease

metastasized Metastasis is a pathogenic agent's spread from an initial or primary site to a different or secondary site within the host's body; the term is typically used when referring to metastasis by a cancerous tumor. The newly pathological sites, then, ...

to his

lungs The lungs are the primary organs of the respiratory system in humans and most other animals, including some snails and a small number of fish. In mammals and most other vertebrates, two lungs are located near the backbone on either side of th ...

. He required massive doses of chemotherapy, a

bone marrow transplant Hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (HSCT) is the transplantation of multipotent hematopoietic stem cells, usually derived from bone marrow, peripheral blood, or umbilical cord blood in order to replicate inside of a patient and to produce ...

, and twelve radiation treatments around his

heart The heart is a muscular organ in most animals. This organ pumps blood through the blood vessels of the circulatory system. The pumped blood carries oxygen and nutrients to the body, while carrying metabolic waste such as carbon dioxide t ...

and lungs. He was then cancer free, but the treatment left him with permanent lung and respiratory problems. Cuccione became a well-known campaigner for cancer research and awareness. The singer/actor established The Michael Cuccione Foundation for Cancer Research and turned his love for music into a fundraising effort by recording a five-song CD, ''Make a Difference''. He also co-authored a book with his grandmother titled, ''There are Survivors: The Michael Cuccione Story'' about his experiences battling cancer; his effort eventually raised C$500,000, which was donated to the

British Columbia's Children's Hospital British Columbia Children's Hospital is a medical facility located in Vancouver, British Columbia, and is an agency of the Provincial Health Services Authority. It specializes in health care for patients from birth to 16 years of age (possibly l ...

. Cuccione made many in-person appearances on television, radio, at schools and hospitals, and other fundraising events.

Death

As the second season of 2ge+her started taping, Cuccione soon began suffering breathing problems from complications from his earlier cancer treatments and required an oxygen tank on-set. His problems increased, and soon he had to miss several tapings of the show and public group appearances. In December 2000, Cuccione was unable to fight off the effects of a minor car accident and entered the hospital on December 4, 2000, with pneumonia. He spent the rest of his stay on a ventilator and celebrated his last

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New Year New Year is the time or day currently at which a new calendar year begins and the calendar's year count increments by one. Many cultures celebrate the event in some manner. In the Gregorian calendar, the most widely used calendar system to ...

's, and birthday in the hospital before succumbing to

respiratory failure Respiratory failure results from inadequate gas exchange by the respiratory system, meaning that the arterial oxygen, carbon dioxide, or both cannot be kept at normal levels. A drop in the oxygen carried in the blood is known as hypoxemia; a rise ...

on January 13, 2001, eight days after his 16th birthday.

Funeral

Thousands packed the church in Vancouver, British Columbia on the Wednesday evening of January 17, 2001, and again on the next morning to mourn. All four of Cuccione's 2ge+her band/cast members were in attendance for both services. Also in attendance was

, who gave the

eulogy A eulogy (from , ''eulogia'', Classical Greek, ''eu'' for "well" or "true", ''logia'' for "words" or "text", together for "praise") is a speech or writing in praise of a person or persons, especially one who recently died or retired, or as a ...

and dedicated a song at the Wednesday services. Both services included a 75-member choir from Cuccione's high school, Notre Dame Regional Secondary School. Among the items displayed were pictures of Cuccione being blessed by

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

, a giant poster of Cuccione with a

teddy bear A teddy bear is a stuffed toy in the form of a bear. Developed apparently simultaneously by toymakers Morris Michtom in the U.S. and Richard Steiff under his aunt Margarete Steiff's company in Germany in the early 20th century, the teddy bear, ...

, and a massive set of wreaths and flowers. During the Thursday services, a huge procession of limousines, cars, and firetrucks accompanied Cuccione's casket through the streets of Greater Vancouver. He was buried at Ocean View Burial Park in Burnaby, Greater Vancouver Regional District, British Columbia, Canada.

Acting credits

*''

'' (1997) as Charlie Everett Hays *" You, Me and the Kids" (1998-2001) *'' 2ge+her'' the movie (February 2000) as Jason "QT" McKnight *'' 2ge+her'' the series (August 2000) as Jason "QT" McKnight *''

Making the Video ''Making the Video'' is an MTV show, consisting of half-hour episodes, which chronicles the process of filming various music videos. Usually the director outlines the concept of the video (or treatment) and the show often includes light-hearted ...

'' (August 2000) as Jason "QT" McKnight

Recording credits

*''Make a Difference'' * 2ge+her movie soundtrack *'' 2ge+her: Again'' series soundtrack *''Messages from Above''CCR: Retrieved on February 5, 2011

References

External links

The Michael Cuccione Foundation
*
Michael Cuccione
At

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Cuccione, Michael 1985 births 2001 deaths 20th-century Canadian male singers Canadian male child actors Canadian people of Italian descent People from Burnaby People from Coquitlam Deaths from cancer in British Columbia Male actors from British Columbia 2gether (band) members