Musical theatre fans and celebrities took to Twitter Friday to celebrate the life of composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim, who died earlier in the day at age 91.
The man sometimes credited with reinventing modern musical theatre was the creative force behind some of the most popular and revered pieces of theatre in the late 20th century.
His career spanned more than seven decades. Among his most popular works were “Into the Woods,” “Gypsy,” “Sweeney Todd,” and “Sunday in the Park with George.”
Six of Sondheim’s musicals won Tony Awards for best score, and he also received a Pulitzer Prize (“Sunday in the Park”), an Academy Award (for the song “Sooner or Later” from the film “Dick Tracy”), five Olivier Awards and the Presidential Medal of Honor. In 2008, he received a Tony Award for lifetime achievement.
One of his first works, “West Side Story,” where he provided the lyrics alone, has recently been turned into a film for a second time; this version, directed by Steven Spielberg is to be released in December. A revival of his show “Company” is returning to Broadway, also that month.
Sondheim’s peers and other theatre stars took to Twitter to pay tribute to him:
His death reverberated well beyond his colleagues; Sondheim fans, critics and theatregoers alike took to social media to share their feelings:
Sondheim was awarded the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015 and had a Broadway theatre named after him in 2010.
—with a file from The Associated Press
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