American composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim dies at 91

American musical theatre icon Stephen Sondheim died at age 91 on November 26. He is often praised for reinventing American musicals into what we know today. Sondheim helped write such works as “West Side Story”, “Gypsy”, “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”, “Merrily We Roll Along”, and “Into the Woods”.

He has received several awards including 8 Tony Awards, 8 Grammy Awards, an Academy Award, a Pulitzer Prize, a Laurence Olivier Award and a 2015 Presidential Medal of Freedom.

There are also two theaters named after Sondheim: one on Broadway and one in the West End of London. The theatre on Broadway is named Stephen Sondheim Theatre, while the one in the West End is called Sondheim Theatre.

Fans gathered outside of Stephen Sondheim Theatre to mourn, pay tribute, and create a makeshift memorial in front of the theatre.