LOS ANGELES (AFP)
Marvin Hamlisch, the composer behind a string of Broadway and
Hollywood hits including "A Chorus Line," "The Way We Were" and
"The Sting," has died, his publicist said Tuesday. He was 68.
"He died last night in Los Angeles," Ray Costa told AFP, adding
that Hamlisch had been admitted to hospital in suburban Burbank
last week. The cause of death was not disclosed.
Born in New York in 1944, Hamlisch studied music at the city's
prestigious Juilliard School, then played piano on Broadway
before embarking on his successful career writing music for stage
and screen.
He was one of the very few artists to collect all the most
coveted prizes in American popular culture, including three
Oscars, two Golden Globes, four Grammys, four Emmys and a Tony.
In 1974 he picked up three Academy Awards on a single night --
for best original dramatic score and best original song for
Sydney Pollack's "The Way We Were" and best musical adaptation
for George Roy Hill's "The Sting."
He also won a Tony for the Broadway musical "A Chorus Line" in
1975.
In Hollywood, Hamlisch created original soundtracks for "The Spy
Who Loved Me" in 1977, "Sophie's Choice" in 1982, "Three Men and
a Baby" in 1987 and "Frankie and Johnny" in 1991.
