‘Sweeney Todd’ And West Side Story Lyricist Stephen Sondheim Dead At 91

Stephen Sondheim, one of the most celebrated musical theatre talents left for his heavenly abode today.

As NY Times reported, the award-winning lyricist and composer Stephen Sondheim passed away peacefully on Friday at his house in Roxbury, Connecticut. Not much is known about the reason behind his death at the moment but his friend F. Richard Pappas has told that it was quite sudden. He had spent Thanksgiving with his friends and enjoyed the meal.

Stephen’s interest in musical theatre began in his childhood. He was introduced to it by Oscar Hammerstein, a family friend. In 1950, he graduated from Williams College and then struggled to find his footing in Broadway. After struggling for some time, he went to L.A to write for television show “Topper”. His heart was always on Broadway so soon he went back to NYC. This time he got hired to write lyrics for West Side Story. He finally got his big break as West Side Story is considered to be one of the most iconic musicals ever made. It ran for more than 700 performances on Broadway and then it was adapted by Steven Spielberg as a feature film.

After that, it was one success after another for Sondheim. His impressive talent shone through in musicals like Sweeney Todd, Way To The Forum, Into The Woods, and many more. Throughout his career, he won every prestigious award including Golden Globe, Grammys, Oscar award, Tony, and Pulitzer Prize.