Stephen Sondheim, Broadway composer & lyricist, dead at 91

Stephen Sondheim, one of the greats of the musical form, has died at age 91. The news was announced by his lawyer and friend, F. Richard Pappas, who told The New York Times he did not know the cause of death but said that Sondheim had not been ill and it was sudden.

One of the most influential composers and lyricists in Broadway, Sondheim’s credits include writing the lyrics for West Side Story and Gypsy, and he wrote both the lyrics and music for such musicals as Company, Follies, Into the Woods, Sweeney Todd, A Little Night Music, Assassins, and Sunday in the Park with George. He won nine Tony Awards, eight Grammys, and an Academy Award for Best Original Song for “Sooner or Later (I Always Get My Man)” from Dick Tracy. In 2015 he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Rest in peace, Stephen.