Aaron Lazar received his first-ever Grammy nomination on Friday, Nov. 8, nearly three years after being diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
The 48-year-old actor — known for roles on stage and screen, including musicals like The Light in the Piazza and Les Misérables, as well as Everything Everywhere All At Once — went public with the news that he had the progressive neurogenerative disorder in January, earning a groundswell of support from the Broadway community and propelling Lazar into the spotlight as he vowed not to fight the disease, but instead to achieve his impossible dream of healing from it.
Months later, in August, Lazar released his debut album, aptly titled Impossible Dream. For the milestone, Lazar collaborated with a collection of decorated megastars from across the music, film, television and theater industry including Josh Groban, Neil Patrick Harris, Leslie Odom Jr., Kelli O’Hara, Kate Baldwin, Norm Lewis and Loren Allred.
There was also a special duet with the late Rebecca Luker, who died at the age of 59 in 2020, just 10 months after receiving her ALS diagnosis.
For the LP’s grand finale, Lazar gathered nearly 80 of Broadway’s best — including Kristin Chenoweth, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Leslie Odom Jr., Brian Stokes Mitchell, Adrienne Warren, Shoshana Bean, Liz Callaway, Joanna Gleason, Brian d’Arcy James, Tony Yazbeck, Christy Altomare, Adam Jacobs, Max Von Essen, Betsy Wolfe, Christiane Noll and Marc Kudisch — for a powerful rendition of “The Impossible Dream,” the song from The Man of La Mancha that’s become Lazar’s personal anthem.
A portion of the proceeds from the album benefit the ALS Network, which provides comprehensive, integrated, multidisciplinary community-based care at no cost to the ALS community. Back in January, the organization presented Lazar with the Essey Spotlight Award for his commitment to raising ALS awareness around the globe
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Now, Lazar is up for another award, Impossible Dream earning a nomination in the best traditional pop album category. It’ll compete against Cyrille Aimée’s À Fleur De Peau, Norah Jones’ Visions, Lake Street Dive’ Good Together and Gregory Porter’s Christmas Wish.
“We all have the power within us to make the impossible possible,” Lazar wrote in an Instagram post celebrating the news, while expressing his gratitude towards everyone from the artists to the producers, arrangers and the “stellar” recording team. “Thank you ALL for helping me to share some healing with the world through this music.”
ALS, also as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a brutal condition that attacks nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, leading to a loss of muscle control that often leaves patients unable to move, speak, swallow and, eventually, even breathe. Affecting an average 5,000 new patients a year in the U.S., according to the ALS Association, there is no known cure with the life expectancy from the time of diagnosis for a person with ALS between three to five years.
Lazar learned he had a slow-moving version of ALS in January 2022, six months after he started experiencing symptoms. But in the face of seemingly insurmountable challenges, the father of two — who shares sons Julian, 14, and Adrian, 12, with ex-wife LeAnn — has adopted an attitude of unwavering optimism.
He told PEOPLE in April he’s chosen “not to live life afraid.” Instead, he’s focused on healing himself emotionally, spiritually — and yes, physically – through a “very conscious, very disciplined” exploration of holistic health through diet, exercise, meditation, and a spiritual practice based in gratitude.
“Don’t get me wrong; I’m passionately fighting for my life, I’m just not fighting the disease,” said Lazar, in an interview from Los Angeles where he lives with fiancée Nawal Bengholam. “I’ve learned to surrender to ALS in a way that lets me appreciate the moments between life’s peaks and valleys. Because I don’t want to miss them.”
Recording an album was initially not in Lazar’s plan, but came together shortly after PEOPLE helped share his story in early February. “I’ve never done an album of my own, but I just had this idea to make something with inspirational songs that are full of love, hope and healing,” Lazar said. “And we started dreaming up what this could be.”
Jonathan Estabrooks and Lazar co-produced the album alongside Grammy winner Kitt Wakeley, who also arranged the LP. It’s developed by Emitha Studios (Emitha LLC) and Studio 7 Media.
Getting stars to join wasn’t hard for Lazar. “I just started making calls and within two weeks… all these incredible people had come on board,” Lazar said. “Everybody just said yes.”
“I’m so thankful to everybody for all that they’ve done to support me,” he added. “They’ve made my impossible dream a reality.”
Impossible Dream is available now.
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