Obituaries

Read all our theater and the performing-arts coverage across the U.S., including exclusive interviews, insightful reviews, and must-see photos and videos.

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Adam Schlesinger has died.
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Cry-Baby, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Fountains of Wayne Composer Adam Schlesinger Dies of Coronavirus
Schlesinger was working on two musicals at the time of his passing.
William Wolf has died.
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Former Drama Desk President William Wolf Dies of Coronavirus Complications
Wolf served as the organization's president for four years.
Terrence McNally has died.
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Terrence McNally, Tony Award-Winning Playwright, Dies From Coronavirus Complications
McNally's career spanned more than 60 years across the world of entertainment.
Mart Crowely has died at 84.
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Mart Crowley, Author of Groundbreaking Play The Boys in the Band, Dies at 84
Crowley earned a 2019 Tony Award for the drama's 50th anniversary revival.
James Lipton has died at 93.
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James Lipton, Inside the Actors Studio Host and Writer of 2 Broadway Musicals, Dies
Lipton was 93.
Four-time Tony Award-winning Broadway legend Zoe Caldwell has died at 86.
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Zoe Caldwell, a Four-Time Tony-Winning Broadway Legend, Has Died at 86
Caldwell was last seen on Broadway as Maria Callas in the original production of Terrence McNally's Master Class.
Kirk Douglas in the 1963 Broadway production of <em>One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest</em>.
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Remembering the Broadway Career of the Legendary Kirk Douglas
Douglas is known for films like Spartacus, but he cut his teeth on the Great White Way during the Golden Age.
Jerry Herman, composer of <em>Mame</em>, <em>Hello, Dolly!</em>, and <em>La Cage aux Folles</em>, has died at 88.
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Jerry Herman, Composer of Hello, Dolly!, Mame, and La Cage, Dies at 88
Hello, Dolly! held the record for most Tony wins from 1964 to 2001.
<em>The Color Purple</em> composer Allee Willis has died at the age of 72.
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The Color Purple Composer Allee Willis Dies at 72
Willis is also well known for cowriting songs for Earth, Wind & Fire, as well as the iconic Friends theme song.
Tony winner Richard Easton has died at the age of 86.
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Richard Easton, Veteran Stage and Screen Actor, Dies at 86
He won a Tony Award in 2001 for his performance in Tom Stoppard's The Invention of Love.
Laurel Griggs (far right) made her acting debut as Polly in the 2013 Broadway production of <em>Cat on a Hot Tin Roof</em>.
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Laurel Griggs, Star of Stage and Screen, Dies at 13
Among her credits, Griggs was the longest-running Ivanka in Once on Broadway.
Andile Gumbi in a promotional image for <em>The Lion King</em>.
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Andile Gumbi, Longtime International Simba in The Lion King, Dies at Age 36
Gumbi suffered cardiac arrest in Israel.
Betty Corwin has died at the age of 98.
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Betty Corwin, Archivist Who Founded Theater on Film and Tape Collection, Has Died
Corwin got permission from five theatrical unions to record Broadway shows for posterity.
Phyllis Newman has died at the age of 86.
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Tony Winner and Women's Health Activist Phyllis Newman Dies at 86
Newman won a Tony for the musical Subways Are for Sleeping.
Victoria Hamilton and Eddie Izzard in the 2003 Broadway revival of <em>A Day in the Death of Joe Egg</em>.
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Peter Nichols, Groundbreaking Playwright of Joe Egg, Dies at 92
The British dramatist also wrote works including Privates on Parade.
Valerie Harper has died at the age of 80.
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Valerie Harper, Best Known for Her TV Portrayal of Rhoda Morgenstern, Has Died
The Emmy-winning actress was 80 years old.
Acclaimed author Toni Morrison has died.
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Nobel Laureate and Pulitzer Prize Winner Toni Morrison Has Died
Morrison is the author of Beloved, Song of Solomon, many more novels, two plays, and a libretto.
Harold Prince has died at the age of xx.
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Harold Prince, Legendary Broadway Producer and Director, Dies at the Age of 91
Prince was the recipient of 21 Tony Awards over the course of his seven-decade career.
Tony-nominated and Emmy-winning actor Rip Torn has died at the age of 88.
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Rip Torn, Emmy-Winning Actor of Stage and Screen, Dies at 88
Torn launched his career in the original Broadway productions of Tennessee Williams's Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and Sweet Bird of Youth.
Martin Charnin has died at the age of 84.
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Martin Charnin, Lyricist and Original Director of Annie, Dies at 84
Charnin earned a Tony for his work.
William F. Brown with his wife, Tina Tippit in 2016.
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William F. Brown, Tony-Nominated Book Writer of The Wiz, Dies at 91
Brown was also a cartoonist, author, and TV writer.
Theater teacher and director Jack Allison has died.
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Theater Professor and Director Jack Allison Has Died
Jack was the resident director at the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera Company where he staged over 30 productions.
The cast of the 2013 Broadway revival of <em>Pippin</em>.
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Roger O. Hirson, Book Writer of Pippin, Dies at 93
Hirson earned a Tony nomination for his work on the classic Stephen Schwartz musical.
Broadway's Grumpy Cat Dies at the Age of 7
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Broadway's Grumpy Cat Dies at the Age of 7
Grumpy Cat made her Broadway debut in Cats.