How Much Was Stephen Sondheim Worth At The Time Of His Death?

American composer Stephen Sondheim died on November 26, at the age of 91, The New York Times reports. Sondheim's cause of death is unknown, as reported by friend F. Richard Pappas, who also served as his lawyer. The composer died in his home in Roxbury, Connecticut the day after having Thanksgiving with friends.

Sondheim had an incredible track record, writing some of the most beloved, iconic Broadway songs. Putting his lyricism and songwriting talents to work, Sondheim wrote the lyrics for "West Side Story" in 1961, according to his IMDb credits, and a year later, he wrote the lyrics for "Gypsy." He went through a particularly productive period in the late '70s and early '80s, composing the music and writing the lyrics for "A Little Night Music" and "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street." He also composed the music and wrote the lyrics for "Assassins" and "Passion," an innovative musical that ties in operatic elements. Needless to say, all of this work left Sondheim in financial comfort.

At the time of his death, composer Stephen Sondheim had a net worth of $20 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. While Sondheim's career brought financial success, it also brought prestigious recognition in other arenas. Sondheim won "an Oscar, a Pulitzer, eight Grammy Awards, eight Tony Awards, a Kennedy Center honor and the Presidential Medal of Freedom [awarded by President Barack Obama]," according to CNN. He was even immortalized in Manhattan's Theater District, with a Broadway theater on 43rd Street aptly named the Stephen Sondheim Theater.

But it was the theater world itself that was most impacted by Sondheim's talent and his talent, symbiotically, was fed by the energy of the theater world. In 2010, the composer spoke on NPR's "Fresh Air" and said: "I'm interested in the theater because I'm interested in communication with audiences. Otherwise, I would be in concert music. I'd be in another kind of profession." Sondheim added, "I love the theater as much as music, and the whole idea of getting across to an audience and making them laugh, making them cry — just making them feel — is paramount to me." He will be greatly missed.