Stephen Sondheim, the composer and lyricist for dozens of theatre productions, has died at the age of 91.
Sondheim’s works include ‘West Side Story’, ‘Gypsy’, ‘A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum’ and ‘Follies’, has died at the age of 91.
Tributes started flowing immediately on the news of his death. Andrew Lloyd Webber said he was “the musical theatre giant of our times” while Sir Cameron Mackintosh said that “The theatre has lost one of its greatest geniuses and the world has lost one of its greatest and most original writers.”
Sondheim was mentored by Oscar Hammerstein. Stephen was a true prodigy/ He wrote his first musical ‘By George’ at age 15. At 27 he wrote ‘West Side Story’. His first Broadway show were he wrote both the lyrics and music was ‘A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum’. He was 33 years old when it won The Best Musical at the 1963 Tony Awards.
He passed on his knowledge mentoring young composers including Jonathan Larson, whose story is told in ‘Tick, Tick … Boom’. He also befriended and encouraged Lin-Manuel Miranda, who worked with Sondheim to create a Spanish version of ‘West Side Story’. Sondheim consulted Miranda on ‘Hamilton’.
& last week, when I wrote him to say his ears must be burning from the countless Sondheim kindnesses being shared from the generations of writers he mentored, he wrote this in reply.
Steve: you repaid your debt to Oscar 1000 times over. We love you. I love you. THANK YOU. -LMM pic.twitter.com/6aeHW4CWFH— Lin-Manuel Miranda (@Lin_Manuel) November 27, 2021
Future historians: Stephen Sondheim was real. Yes, he wrote Tony & Maria AND Sweeney Todd AND Bobby AND George & Dot AND Fosca AND countless more. Some may theorize Shakespeare's works were by committee but Steve was real & he was here & he laughed SO loud at shows & we loved him
— Lin-Manuel Miranda (@Lin_Manuel) November 27, 2021
Sondheim died at his home in Connecticut. A Cause of Death has not yet been announced.
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