Legendary Broadway director and producer, Hal Prince, has died at 91 years of age in Reykjavik, Iceland, after a brief illness.
Prince made a significant contribution to the Broadway musical and musical theatre in general, winning 21 Tony Awards, more than any other individual, including eight for directing. He collaborated with some of the best-known composers and lyricists in the industry, including Andrew Lloyd Webber, John Kander and Fred Ebb, Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim.
Over the span of his career, his productions have included Cabaret, Follies, A Little Night Music, Candide, Pacific Overtures, On the Twentieth Century, Sweeney Todd, Evita, The Phantom of the Opera, The Kiss of the Spiderwoman, Showboat, Parade and Prince of Broadway, just to name a few…
Prince touched the lives of many people, with many posting tributes on the news of his passing.
“Farewell, Hal. Not just the prince of musicals, the crowned head who directed two of the greatest productions of my career, Evita and Phantom,” said Andrew Lloyd Webber. “This wonderful man taught me so much and his mastery of musical theatre was without equal.”
“We at the American Theatre Wing mourn with the rest of the theatre community, as today, we have lost a giant,” said Heather Hitchens, CEO & President, American Theatre Wing. “Hal was our most Tony-winning artist as well as an exceptional mentor and thought leader for our industry. His legacy lives on in all the life changing theatre and artists he helped foster and shape. Rest well, friend!”
In a statement from his publicist, Rick Miramontez, “As per his wishes, there will be no funeral but there will be a celebration of his life this fall with the people he loved most, the members of the theatrical community that he was a part of for seven decades.”
“He is missed and loved by his family – Judy, his wife of 56 years; his daughter, Daisy; his son, Charles; and his grandchildren, Phoebe, Lucy, and Felix.”
Read: Extended Q&A: Harold Prince on His History-Making Musicals
Image: Hal Prince – Marc J Franklin (courtesy of Playbill)