‘Phantom’ star Luker dies at 59

Rebecca Luker, the lilting soprano best known for her iconic Broadway portrayals as Christine in “The Phantom of the Opera” and Marian the librarian in “The Music Man,” has died at the age of 59.

Luker died Wednesday after a yearlong battle with Lou Gehrig’s disease, also called amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or ALS.

“Our family is devastated. I have no words at this moment because I’m numb,” Luker’ s husband of 20 years, Danny Burstein, said.

During her extraordinary three-decade career, Luker snagged three Tony Award nominations.

Born in Birmingham, Ala., Luker’s first Broadway foray was as Sarah Brightman’s understudy as Christine in “The Phantom of the Opera.” She assumed the role in 1989 after Brightman and Patti Cohenour left the show, noted Playbill.

In 1991, Luker (photo) received a Drama Desk nomination for her role as Lily in “The Secret Garden,” according to the Internet Broadway Database.

“Theater kids, if you haven’t yet, immediately bathe in the glory of that original Broadway cast recording of ‘The Secret Garden’ with Rebecca Luker as Lily,” wrote actor Steven Pasquale on Twitter. “In a belty, riffy world, she reminds us of what great pure singing is.”

Four years later, Luker would get her first Tony nod for her performance as Magnolia in a revival of “Show Boat.” She would receive her second nomination as Marian Paroo in “The Music Man.”

In 2007, she earned her third Tony nomination for “Peter Pan.”

“Rebecca Luker was one of the most beautiful voices on Broadway and a lovely person,” tweeted Bernadette Peters on Wednesday. “We are all devastated for Danny and for ourselves, we will never get to witness her talents on stage again.”

Among Luker’s other notable stage runs were “The Sound of Music,” “Nine” and “Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella.”

Her final Broadway performance was in the 2015 Tony-winning musical “Fun Home.”

Luker was best known for her work on stage, but she also acted on television and in films.

She appeared in multiple episodes of “Boardwalk Empire,” “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” and “NCIS: New Orleans.”

In addition to appearing on numerous cast recordings, she released four solo albums from 1996-2013.

Luker went public with her ALS diagnosis in February.

The illness is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects spinal cord and brain nerve cells.

She is survived by Burstein and two stepchildren, Zachary and Alexander.