American musical theater master Stephen Sandheim has died

New York, November 26 (China News Service) According to American media reports on the 26th, Stephen Sondheim, a famous American musical, film music composer and lyricist, died on the same day at the age of 91.

The New York Times reported that Sandheim's lawyer and friend Richard Pappas announced the artist's death. Papas said Sandheim died earlier that day at his home in Roxbury, Connecticut. He had spent Thanksgiving at home the night before, and had not been diagnosed with any serious illness before, and his death was sudden.

Born in 1930 in New York to a family of cloth merchants, Sandheim was initiated as a teenager by the famous playwright and lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II. He composed and wrote famous musicals such as Todd the Barber, The Ancient City of Spring, Company, The Fool's Show, Serenade, Sunday in the Park with George, Visiting the Forest, and Assassination.

The New York Times said that Sandheim's first songwriting musical, "Spring In the Ancient City," was a huge success, with a total of 964 performances in Broadropes. But his second composed songwriting work, "The Whistle That Everybody Knows," was staged in only 9 scenes. His work on Broadway often struggled to recoup production costs in the early stages.

Sandheim has won 1 Academy Award, 9 Tony Awards, 8 Grammy Awards and 1 Pulitzer Prize. With witty and melodious lyrics, evocative melodies, and a grasp of unusual themes, Sandheim "reinvented the American musicals of the second half of the 20th century," the Associated Press said.

The New York Times commented that Sandheim is a rigorous artist who constantly seeks new creative paths. Even if not the most popular composer and lyricist, Sandheim was the most respected and influential songwriter in theater of the second half of the 20th century. (End)

Source: China News Network