One singular sensation has died after a career in which every little step he took seemed to result in awards and accolades.
Marvin Hamlisch was 68 and had suffered a brief illness, according to his family. Hamlisch’s career spanned decades and won virtually every major award, including Oscars, a Grammy, a Tony, and the Pulitzer Prize for drama. Composing scores for more than 40 motion pictures, Hamlisch is perhaps best known for the theme song to The Way We Were, which starred Barbra Streisand.
His diverse repertoire includes the scores for films such as Sophie’s Choice, Bananas, The Informant! and the soon-to-be released HBO film about the life of Liberace, Behind the Candelabra. Hamlisch’s Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award came for his work on the long-running musical A Chorus Line. The New York City-born child prodigy also had the distinction of being the youngest student ever admitted to the Juilliard School’s music division.
Many in the theater world will be singing his praises—and his songs—this week. For a composer who arguably loved music with every bone in his body, it’s hard to imagine a better send-off.
