According to the New York Times, Sondheim died suddenly. This was cited by his friend F. Richard Pappas and his lawyer. According to Pappas, Sondheim had just celebrated Thanksgiving with friends and family the day before. His works covered an astonishing range. He wrote the lyrics for the “West Side Story” version of Romeo and Juliet, and he also wrote the lyrics for the “Company” story. He also wrote the lyrics for the “Assassins” story about the troubles of a group of friends and lovers. He won an Oscar, a Pulitzer and eight Grammy Awards. He also received eight Tony Awards. Named after him, the Stephen Sondheim Theater in Manhattan’s Theater District is named. His song lyrics were the gold standard for theater art. They could be defiant (“Rose’s Turn”) or sad (“Send In the Clowns”), or even simple clever (“Ah! but Underneath”) Read MoreThey were often tricky, filled with clever rhymes. These were perhaps not surprising for a man who once called himself a “mathematician by nature”. They rarely failed to get to a character’s heart. “What’s funny is Steve’s songs? You think it’s about something. Then you start working on it and you realize it’s not about that thing.'” Bernadette Peters, one Sondheim’s most prominent interpreters, said to ABC News in 2010. It goes deeper than you thought. Sondheim was a master at expressing romantic longings and loss. Songs like “Send in the Clowns”, “Losing My Mind”, and “Somewhere” from “A Little Night Music” are heartbreaking in their emotion.

Garry Nunn, Guardian, wrote that musicals are not the only option for theater-lovers. “The latter is a distinct category because Sondheim has worked to make every word and every rhyme clear and concise (even if a little garrulous). Sondheim stated that even though his work was sometimes criticized for being glib, the joy of theater was touching audiences. He said, “I’m interested to the theater because of my interest in communication with audiences,” in an interview with NPR’s Fresh Air in 2010. “Otherwise I would be in concert music. I would be in another type of profession. I love theater as much music as I love theater. The idea of communicating to an audience and making them laugh or cry — just making them feel — is what I love most. “BeginningsStephen Joshua Sondheim was a New Yorker born March 22, 1930. He was the son of a wealthy dressmaker and his wife, a fashion designer. Sondheim’s parents divorced as a teenager and he moved to Bucks County in Pennsylvania. Sondheim, already a musical prodigy and a student of Oscar Hammerstein II, a lyricist from the famed theatrical company Rodgers and Hammerstein, was able to receive a master class on play writing under the tutelage and guidance of his father. Sondheim shared his experience with the Paris Review in 1997, saying that he taught him how to structure songs, how to create characters, and how to create scenes. He also taught Sondheim how to tell stories, how to tell them poorly, and how to make stage directions work. I soaked it all up and still use the principles he taught me that afternoon. “Sondheim attended Williams College, Massachusetts. He won a fellowship for music and was able to continue his studies. After a brief stint in Los Angeles, where he wrote scripts to the TV series “Topper,” thanks in part to Hammerstein’s lead, he returned to New York to pursue a career as a theater director. At 27 years old, he was hired as a lyricist for “West Side Story” with music by Leonard Bernstein. The musical’s most famous songs are “America,”” “Tonight,” I Feel Pretty”, and “Somewhere.” Although Sondheim later called the lyrics embarrassing, the show was a huge success and ran for nearly 1,000 performances. 1959’s “Gypsy” was the story of Gypsy Rose Lee, her mother, Rose. Sondheim collaborated with Jule Styne for this production. 1962’s, “A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to The Forum,” was the next. Sondheim also wrote the music and lyrics for this show. After a long drought, “Company” was finally revived in 1970. It ran for more than a decade and won a Tony award for best musical. It was also the beginning of Sondheim’s 11-year collaboration, including hits such as “Follies” (1971),”A Little Night Music” (1973), and “Sweeney Todd” (1979). “Send in the Clowns” is Sondheim’s most well-known song. It was recorded by “A Little Night Music”. It was a bold body of work. As Sondheim matured his intellect and pen, no idea seemed too far-fetched. “Company” was notable for its almost plotless presentation. “Pacific Overtures” (1976) was about the 19th century American entry to Japan. It was performed kabuki style. “Sweeney Todd” was about a murderous barber who makes his victims into meat pies. He wrote “Sunday in the Park with George”, a musical about Georges Seurat, a French pointillist painter, in the 1980s and 1990s. It won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. His most-performed work was “Into the Woods” (1987), which was a recasting Grimm’s fairy tales. “Assassins” (1990), was an unusual tale about presidential assassins, past and present. His last work was 2008’s “Road Show,” which featured a pair of brothers who are social-climbing. It didn’t make it to Broadway. His early works, such “West Side Story” or “Gypsy”, were made into movies. However, his post-1970 work was generally resistant to the transition. PBS and Showtime produced “Sunday in the Park” to be broadcast on television. A later version was released with Sondheim’s commentary. “Sweeney Todd,” starring Johnny Depp as the lead, was made into a Tim Burton movie in 2007. “Into the Woods,” starring Meryl Streep, and future late-night host James Corden was filmed in 2014. Steven Spielberg will release a new adaptation of “West Side Story” next month.

Sondheim won his Oscar for the song “Sooner or Later” he wrote for 1990’s film “Dick Tracy.” He was a New Yorker at heart, but he did not attend the ceremony. However, the theater was another matter. His 80th birthday review, “Sondheim On Sondheim,” received a rousing response and led to a reexamination of his long career. The composer was a reserved man who, when not waxing rhapsodically on his Clement Wood rhyme dictionary or praising his collaborators’ work, was usually modest about the reactions. Last year, the global pandemic prompted a virtual concert to celebrate Sondheim’s 90th Birthday and his entire body of work. The concert raised money for Artists Striving to End Poverty and featured performances and appearances by Broadway heavyweights such as Lin-Manuel Miranda and Audra McDonald. He told Terry Gross that it was a little too much to be in the public eye. “But the outpourings of enthusiasm and affection have been worth it. It’s wonderful to know that people enjoy your stuff. TributesPeople who have performed Sondheim’s music or been touched by it have flooded social media with their condolences after the news of his passing. “Thank the Lord Sondheim lived to 91 so he could write such beautiful music and great lyrics!” Barbra Streisand wrote. “May he Rest in Peace.” Actor Josh Gad wrote, “Perhaps theater has lost such a revolutionary voice not since April 23rd 1616.” “Thank you Mr. Sondheim, for your Demon Barber and some Night Music, a Sunday at the Park, Company fun at a Forum, a trip Into The Woods, and telling us a West Side Story. RIP.” Aaron Tviet, actor, said: “Thanks for everything Mr Sondheim. Speechless. We are so fortunate to have what you have given the world.