When it comes to wordsmiths of musical theater there are few who have been able to match the lyrical dexterity of Stephen Sondheim, and for that reason, the confirmation of the songwriting master’s death in the early hours of Friday morning comes as with deep sadness for any fan of Broadway musicals. Sondheim was 91, and passed away at this home in Roxbury, Connecticut, Attorney F. Richard Pappas said, revealing that the maestro had been celebrating Thanksgiving with friends just a day before his sudden death.

Sondheim was often cited as one of the greatest composer-lyricists of the 20th century, being one of the few gifted creators to write both music and lyrics for his productions, which included Company (1970), Follies (1971), A Little Night Music (1973), Pacific Overtures (1976), Sweeney Todd (1979), Merrily We Roll Along (1981), Sunday in the Park With George (1984) and Into the Woods (1987).

He also wrote the lyrics for Gypsy and West Side Story in the 1950s, and started producing both components of his songs in his 1962 comedy A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, which had a two year run and claimed a Best Musical Tony Award in the process. Sondheim very quickly established himself as a powerhouse of musical theater, although he also branches out into writing scores and songs for movies, including Sooner or Later ( I Always Get My Man) from Dick Tracy, which earned him the 1991 Academy Award for Best Song. His awards in total were numerous, including six Grammy wins for cast recordings of his shows, and the Song of The Year award in 1975 for Send In The Clowns from A Little Night Music.

Probably two of his musicals, Sweeney Todd and Into the Woods have become better known through big screen adaptations, both of which featured Johnny Depp, and displayed the power of Sondheim to tell a story through song along. You usually know that you are watching a Sondheim musical if the songs include all of the plot narrative, conversations and character thoughts and there are very few spoken passages. It was as close to mainstream Opera as you could get. For the 2014 film adaptation of Into The Woods, Sondheim wrote a brand new song, She’ll Be Back, which was sung by The Witch, who was portrayed by Mamma Mia! star Meryl Streep, but the song was unfortunately cut from the theatrical release.

Sondheim was the recipient of a 1993 Kennedy Center Honor for lifetime achievement, and went on to receive a Tony Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008, had the Henry Miller Theater renamed after him in 2010, and was granted the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Barack Obama in 2015. There are few in the entertainment industry that have been as honored and praised as Stephen Sondheim, who has been responsible for some of the greatest musicals to have been performed both on and off Broadway.

Away from his professional life, Sondheim was always said to be a solitary person, and came out as gay at the age of 40. He married husband Jeffrey Scott Romley on New Year's Eve in 2017, and is survived by him and his half brother, Walter Sondheim.

Fans and celebrities immediately mourned the passing of the theatrical legend on social media, including Hugh Jackman, Barbara Streisand, Anna Kendrick and Neil Gaiman. You can read some of their comments below, as we send our condolences to all who are mourning the loss of one of theater’s greatest ever composers. Rest in peace, Stephen Sondheim.