“West Wing”'s John Spencer asked costar Kristin Chenoweth to sing at his funeral 2 weeks before shocking heart attack death
- - “West Wing”'s John Spencer asked costar Kristin Chenoweth to sing at his funeral 2 weeks before shocking heart attack death
Jordan HoffmanDecember 26, 2025 at 8:00 AM
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Chris Haston/NBCU via getty
John Spencer and Kristin Chenoweth on 'The West Wing'
Did a West Wing star predict his own death?
According to season 6 addition Kristin Chenoweth, a costar's request for her to sing one of her famous Wicked songs at his funeral turned into an eerie premonition when he unexpectedly died just two weeks later.
Chenoweth, who originated the role of Glinda in the Broadway smash and made a cameo in the movie version, shared the tale in What's Next: A Backstage Pass to The West Wing, Its Cast and Crew, and Its Enduring Legacy of Service by Melissa Fitzgerald and West Wing star Mary McCormack.
The actress played the recurring character Annabeth Schott on the sixth season of the NBC political drama, and was then bumped up to a main role in the seventh. In the book, she detailed a remarkable encounter with costar John Spencer, who played Leo McGarry, the capable chief of staff to the fictional President Bartlett (Martin Sheen).
Mitchell Haddad/NBCU via getty
Kristin Chenoweth and John Spencer on 'The West Wing' in 2005
"Two weeks before Christmas, I caught John smoking in the alley," Chenoweth said in the oral history. "I said, 'Gimme that cigarette!' He goes, 'Kristin, every day without a cigarette is hell. I just want this one.'"
She continued, "I said, 'Okay, but no more after this!' He said, 'I'll tell you what. If I die, I have one request. I want you to sing 'For Good' at my funeral.' I laughed. 'Well, that won't be for a while.' And then he passed away."
Spencer, a five-time Emmy nominee and one-time winner, died of a heart attack at 58 in 2005.
A memorial service for the actor was held at the Stephen Ross Theater on the Warner Bros. lot. Many West Wing cast members got up to speak, and Chenoweth made good on her promise.
"I didn't think I could do it," she said in the book. "Then I felt him. I felt John say... 'You're gonna do this, because I asked you to just the other day!' So... I did. And it was horrible."
She joked that she "sounded like a frog," but added "the important thing is that he loved that song, loved the message: 'Because I knew you, I have been changed... for good."
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Entertainment Weekly reunited the West Wing cast in a September 2020 cover story, where the stars and show creator Aaron Sorkin paid tribute to the late Spencer.
"I never got tired of watching John do more with three words than most actors could do in three scenes," said Rob Lowe (Sam Seaborn, deputy White House communications director). "Watching John Spencer say 'Thank you, Mr. President,' week in and week out, he could make that mean 5,000 different things," he continued.
"Anytime we had anything special or unique happen, you would look over at John and he'd have this big smile on his face saying, 'This wouldn't happen if we were on a cop show!'" Dulé Hill (Charlie Young, personal aide to the president turned deputy special assistant to the chief of staff) recalled. "That still, to this day, sticks with me."
on Entertainment Weekly
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
