[4] He graduated from Westdale Secondary School in Hamilton[3] and attended Ryerson University in Toronto for two years before dropping out to perform in the band Lovemethod.

[11] He left Waitress to join the Broadway premiere of the musical A Bronx Tale, playing Sonny at the Longacre Theatre starting on November 3, 2016.

[20] Cordero was initially diagnosed with pneumonia while staying with his wife and son at the guest house of former Bullets Over Broadway co-star Zach Braff.

[24][25] Due to his worsening condition, his doctors put him in a medically-induced coma and placed him on a ventilator, and treated him with dialysis and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO).

[31][32][23] On July 5, 2020, after 95 days in the hospital, Cordero died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, at age 41.

[35] On September 2, 2021, the Broadway production of Waitress paid tribute to Cordero, with Kloots and the show's cast performing his single "Live Your Life".

[36] A film of a rooftop performance of a song from Bullets Over Broadway is dedicated to his memory, commemorating his portrayal of Cheech.