Marvin Hamlisch, the acclaimed composer of A Chorus Line, has died aged 68 following a brief illness.
Hamlisch’s famous score for the Pulitzer Prize-winning musical was recognised at the first ever Olivier Awards in 1976 when the show took home the debut Best New Musical accolade.
The New York-born composer also boasted an impressive number of awards from some of the world’s most prestigious entertainment prizes, including Emmys, Grammys, Academy Awards, Golden Globes and a Tony.
On stage his numerous other work included They’re Playing Our Song, The Goodbye Girl, Sweet Smell Of Success, Smile, The Goodbye Girl and the National Theatre’s Jean Seberg.
Hamlisch also wrote more than 40 film scores, including the 1973 high-profile hit The Way We Were, which earned him two Oscars. Other film successes included Sophie’s Choice, Ordinary People, The Swimmer and The Spy Who Loved Me, as well as a brief collaboration with Woody Allen during the prolific film maker’s early career.
More recently Hamlisch scored Steven Soderbergh’s The Informant! and last offered his skills for the stage in 2002 with the American premiere of Nora Ephron’s Imaginary Friends.
As well as being a hugely successful composer, Hamlisch, who was a graduate of the highly respected Juilliard School of Music, was also a conductor and Musical Director.
Hamlisch had been working on a new musical entitled Gotta Dance.