Legendary composer and prolific trophy-snatcher Marvin Hamlisch passed away Monday in Los Angeles. He was 68.
USA Today reports that Hamlisch died following a brief illness, though no further details have been provided.
Hamlisch leaves behind an indelible legacy in the world of pop culture, having scored over 40 films, though he is perhaps best known for composing the score for perennial Broadway favorite, A Chorus Line, for which he won a Tony Award and a Pulitzer Prize.
These were just a handful of awards Hamlisch racked up in his time, having been of a select group of artists to EGOT — that is, to win the quqadruple crown in entertainment: Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and the Tony. Hamlisch snatched three Academy Awards in 1974 alone for his score for The Sting and the titular tearjerker from The Way We Were.
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The lights on Broadway shall be dimmed tonight at the passing of one of the greatest talents to brighten the Great White Way and light up the silver screen. Here’s a little something that basically sums up the life of Marvin Hamlisch:
Mark
Thank you for the music, the memories and the wonderful legacy. You will be sorely missed Mr Hamlisch. Your music however will be with us always.
Karl
I love his music, just love it. It has a timelesss simplicity.
Whenever he came to England he was always such the perfect gentleman.
Rest in peace.
hector
Did he ever come out?
VERN DUFFORD
It’s the music we will remember…”The Way We Were”…thanks for adding to the soundtrack of my life.
kevininbuffalo
@hector: He wasn’t Gay. He was married for 25 years to his wife Terre. That’s according tothe UK paper, The Gaurdian.
Cyndi Brady
As a 44 year old East Coast-er, I have to say that his songs were, as Mr. Vern Dufford said above, the soundtrack for my life, my love(s) and my losses.
One could say that some of what he wrote was schmaltz, but those songs were close to the bone, they struck the heart of the marrow, and somehow seemed forever true — especially for those of us who are LGBT love deeply, outside the margin, and on the fringe, where our history may go unwritten, but never unsung.
My hope is that the younger generation(s) will discover his songs, again and again, so that we can keep unbroken the thread from aunt to nephew, from sister to niece.
Go find his songs if you don’t know them . If they don’t resonate today, they may speak to you tomorrow!