Composer Marvin Hamlisch dead at 68

Grammy award-winning composer Marvin Hamlisch died Monday in Los Angeles. He passed away at the age of 68. A family spokesperson told the Associated Press that Hamlisch died after a brief illness. The New York native won three Academy Awards, four Emmys, a Tony, three Golden Globes and the Pulitzer Price for the Broadway musical “A Chorus Line.”

Some of Hamlisch’s other Broadway successes were “The Goodbye Girl” and “Sweet Smell of Success.” But he also composed more than 40 film scores, which included “Sophie’s Choice,” “Ordinary People,” “Take the Money and Run” and “The Sting.”

The famed composer had planned on flying to Nashville to see a live production of his musical “The Nutty Professor” the week of his death. Hamlisch, who was also a conductor for symphony orchestras across the country, had been scheduled to lead the New York Philharmonic for a New Year’s Eve concert this December.