Veteran songwriter Stephen Sondheim, who redefined the American musical theatre, has passed away. He was 91.
Stephen breathed his last on Friday at his home in Roxbury, Conn, Variety reported.
Mr. Sondheim was the theater's most renowned and prolific composer-lyricist of the last half of the twentieth century, if not its most popular. He was an intellectually rigorous artist who was continuously seeking new creative possibilities.
He was a relentlessly innovative theatrical force from his early successes in the late 1950s, when he wrote the lyrics for "West Side Story" and "Gypsy," to the 1990s, when he wrote the music and lyrics for two audacious musicals, "Assassins," which gave voice to the men and women who killed or attempted to kill American presidents, and "Passion," an operatic probe into the nature of true love.
From the comedic 'A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum' to the ground-breaking 'Company' and the experimental 'Pacific Overtures', his shows have had undoubtedly transformed the Broadway musical stage.
He is a recipient of Tony Awards plus a 2008 Special Tony Award for lifetime achievement in the theatre. He also received a Pulitzer Prize ('Sunday in the Park'), and an Academy Award for the song 'Sooner or Later'.
(With inputs from ANI)
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