Ron Richardson; Tony-Winning Singer and Actor

Ron Richardson, 43, a singer and actor who won a Tony for his performance in “Big River: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.” Richardson was praised for his powerful singing and the tragic resonance of his acting as the runaway slave Jim in the Broadway musical adapted from Mark Twain’s book. The singer’s stage presence was often described as majestic. He won the Tony in 1985 as best supporting actor in a musical, and also won a Drama Desk award. Richardson was born in West Philadelphia in 1952. From the age of 4, he sang in a neighborhood church. He went from high school choirs to performances in dinner theater musicals. In the early 1970s, he appeared in “Showboat,” “Camelot” and “Man of La Mancha” in and around Philadelphia. He was in the Los Angeles production of “Dream Girls” and toured with a concert act, appearing in Moscow, St. Petersburg and Riga, Latvia. On Wednesday in Bronxville, N.Y., of complications of AIDS.