Very sad to hear about the passing of Jerry Herman the iconic composer & lyricist brilliantly known for his work in Broadway musical theater. Herman composed the scores for the Broadway hit musicals Hello Dolly!, Mame & La Cage Aux Folles. He was nominated for the Tony Award five times & won twice for Hello Dolly! & La Cage Aux Folles. In 2009 Herman received the Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre & was a recipient of the 2010 Kennedy Center Honors. Harvey Fierstein
stated, “Jerry Herman lost his hard fought battle last night & we lost one of the greats. A collaborator & friend for almost 40 years, I cannot thank him enough for his love, trust, encouragement, support & laughter. Well done, Mr Herman. Bravo!” Bernadette Peters
added, “How Sad Jerry Herman has passed away. Of course he made it to Christmas & left us the next day !! He was always so enthusiastic & uplifting about things & gave us the wonderful show Hello Dolly among others !!RIP Jerry Dearest.” Herman was openly gay & at the time of his death his partner was Terry Marler, a real estate broker.
Herman was diagnosed HIV-positive in 1985. As noted in the "Words & Music" PBS documentary, "He is one of the fortunate ones who survived to see experimental drug therapies take hold & was still, as one of his lyrics proclaims, 'alive & well & thriving' over quarter of a century later." Herman's published his memoir Showtune in 1996.
Herman died on December 26th in Miami Beach, Florida at the age of 88.
LISTEN: Ruthie Berman Talks Documentary & LGBTQ Equality
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