Stephen Sondheim Musical theatre icon dies at 91
His lawyer told the New York Times that Sondheim passed away on Friday at his home in Roxbury, Connecticut.
He was a titan of musical Theatre who turned the unlikeliest of subjects into entertainment landmarks.
He wrote the scores of some of Broadway's best-known shows during his illustrious career, including Company, Follies and A Little Night Music. Sondheim also wrote the lyrics for West Side Story.
The New-York born composer won eight Grammy awards, nine Tony awards - including the exceptional Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre - and one Academy Award. He also received a Pulitzer Prize.
In 2015, US President Barack Obama bestowed Sondheim the Presidential Medal of Freedom - the highest civilian award - for his work.
Sondheim's lawyer said the composer had celebrated Thanksgiving with friends a day before his death.
Tributes have started pouring to one of musical Theatre's most revered composers.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio tweeted: "Stephen Sondheim created fantastic worlds and characters, but at the heart of every story he told was a kid from New York City. And that kid was a legend. One of the brightest lights of Broadway is dark tonight. May he rest in peace."
US actress and singer Anna Kendrick said that performing Sondheim's work "has been among the greatest privileges of my career", adding that the composer's death was "a devastating loss".
Journalist Fae O'Toole posted a letter she received from Sondheim in 2011 when she was "theatre-mad 16-year-old".
She said it "made me cry for weeks and propelled me towards a career of art and writing. Thank you for everything. Rest easy."
0 Comment