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To our dear community,
Today, we are heartbroken to share with you that Dito van Reigersberg, co-founder of Pig Iron and creator of so much joy here in Philadelphia and all the places he traveled, has passed away.
Dito was part of the very life blood of Pig Iron. So much we have accomplished, so much we are proud of, is due to Dito’s incomparable spirit, creative spark, and irreverent humor. He was a marvel in life—onstage, offstage, in rehearsal, in the classroom, on walks in the woods, sitting in his garden, making Spanish tortillas or singing his heart out…A supernova of joy and generosity, he was an endless fountain of inside jokes and sweet, personalized birthday wishes he sent to his countless loved ones.
From 2021 to 2023 Dito battled not one but two kinds of cancer—the second a rare blood cancer that required a bone marrow transplant. In 2024 he began a remarkable and triumphant recovery, performing sold-out Martha Graham Cracker concerts, co-creating and leading the luminous Poor Judge, and performing in Heather Christian’s Oratorio for Living Things. He was passionate and joyous and courageous as he devoured this new lease on life, singing with such heart and abandon in these amazing performances.
In January, complications from the transplant started to emerge. Since then, Dito has been in and out of the hospital, with fevers and low oxygen. His oncology team wasn’t able to pinpoint what exactly caused all of this, but last week they landed on a diagnosis of graft-versus-host disease, a grave complication from some transplants.
On Sunday, the doctors explained there was little more they could do for him, and he and his family made the decision to transition to hospice care.
The circle of people who love Dito is staggering, enormous. Family and friends poured in to say a few words of farewell, to sing the Indigo Girls and Aretha Franklin at his bedside, and to absolutely violate all the hospital’s rules for visitors. He was, as ever, a beacon of courage and good humor, nodding off and waking up to joke with people, give a little kiss to someone, and indulge in a funny voice when he was able to.
His beloved husband Matthew has been by his side throughout this ordeal. Both Matthew and Dito’s mother Stephie have spent these days murmuring sweet messages to him and loving him as he moved through these last stages of life.
We are grieving with Dito’s friends and family, who are just beginning to plan a memorial and ceremony to say farewell. There is no way to sum up or fully encompass the love force that was Dito’s life; you can be sure there will be several gatherings to honor Dito and to grieve together, some small and some large. We will be in touch when we are able to share any details.
In lieu of flowers, you can send memories, poems, artwork, photos, videos, and messages to Dito’s family at an email address we’ve set up: lovefordito@pigiron.org. His family will be able to view all of these when they feel ready.
In love and grief,
Dan, Quinn, Jasmine, Eva, and Pig Iron
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