Legendary Songwriter Stephen Sondheim Passed Away Today at the Age of 91

One of history’s all-time greatest lyricists and song-writers, Stephen Sondheim, sadly passed away today at the age of 91.

What’s Happening:

  • According to The New York Times, Stephen Sondheim was not known to be ill, so his death this morning at the age of 91 was a sudden and unexpected one.
  • An intellectually rigorous artist who perpetually sought new creative paths, Mr. Sondheim was the theater’s most revered and influential composer-lyricist of the last half of the 20th century, if not its most popular.
  • Two of Sondheim’s earliest successes were West Side Story and Gypsy. In fact, the latest adaptation of West Side Story to film is to be released just next month.
  • One Broadway project of Sondheim’s which was adapted to film by Disney was Into the Woods, a fairytale feast released back in 2014.
  • Other famous projects of Sondheim’s include:
    • Company (1970)
    • Follies (1971)
    • A Little Night Music (1973)
    • Pacific Overtures (1976)
    • Sweeney Todd (1979)
    • Merrily We Roll Along (1981)
    • Sunday in the Park With George (1984)
    • Into the Woods (1987)
  • For a complete retrospective into Stephen Sondheim’s life and career, check out the original New York Times post.