The Tragic Death Of Broadway Icon Stephen Sondheim
Musical theater pioneer Stephen Sondheim has died at the age of 91, the New York Post reported. Per the outlet, he died on November 26 at his home. According to The New York Times, Sondheim's death was announced by his friend and lawyer F. Richard Pappas, who said that the composer died suddenly but didn't share his cause of death. Sondheim is survived by his husband, Jeff Romley, as well as his half-brother, Walter Sondheim, the Times noted.
Sondheim was the mastermind behind numerous musical theater classics, including "Company," "Sweeney Todd," "Sunday in the Park with George," and many more, per the Times. The paper noted that Sondheim's works won five Best Musical Tony Awards and six Best Original Score Tony Awards. In addition, three revivals of Sondheim's works won Tonys, per the outlet. In addition to the many Tonys, including a lifetime achievement award, Sondheim was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015.
As the theater world mourns the loss of one of its greats, tributes have been rolling in from those who admired the composer.
Broadway poured out its tributes to Stephen Sondheim
Broadway icons mourned the loss of Stephen Sondheim on November 26. "Wicked" star Idina Menzel tweeted, "Goodbye dear sir. We will spend our lives trying to make you proud." "I am so so sad to lose my friend Steve Sondheim[.] He gave me so much to sing about," Bernadette Peters wrote. "Thank you Steve. Thank you," tweeted Audra McDonald, pictured above with the composer.
Playwright and novelist Paul Rudnick tweeted of Sondheim, "Not just a genius but a truly wonderful person. He'd go see everything and encourage young artists (like so many, I received a personal note which thrills me to this day.) He loved the theater; he was and will always be the theater."
"Stephen Sondheim- thank you for all of the gifts you have given to the theatre," tweeted Brian Stokes Mitchell. "You have been an inspiration to me and it has been a joy working with you, and being in your presence."
"His writing is the singular reason I wanted to be a musical theater actor. No one will ever come close to his genius," Jesse Tyler Ferguson wrote of Sondheim.