Three-time Tony Award winning composer and lyricist Charles Strouse, whose work included “Annie” and “Bye Bye Birdie” died Thursday. He was 96.
The news was confirmed by the New York Times by Jim Byk, a spokesman for the family.
Strouse had written scores for over 30 musicals, 14 of which were on Broadway. His first Broadway musical was “Bye Bye Birdie” which first opened in 1960. His work won him his first Tony Award.
His second Tony Award came for “Applause.”
It was “Annie” that brought Strouse his third Tony win. He teamed up with lyricist Martin Charnin and librettist Thomas Meehan. The Broadway musical ran for 2,377 performances and yielded productions around the world, Strouse’s score included “Tomorrow,” “It’s the Hard–Knock Life,” “You’re Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile,” and “I Don’t Need Anything But You.”
According to his biography, Strouse was born and raised in New York City, the son of Ira and Ethel (Newman) Strouse. A graduate of the Eastman School of Music, Strouse studied under David Diamond, Aaron Copland and Nadia Boulanger.
He has been inducted to the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Theatre Hall of Fame. His song “Those Were the Days” launched over 200 episodes of “All in the Family.”
In addition to writing for stage, Strouse also scored for film. He composed the score for “Bonnie & Clyde” which landed him a Grammy nomination. He also scored “There Was a Crooked Man,” “The Night They Raided Minsky’s,” Sidney Lumet’s “Just Tell Me What You Want” and the animated feature “All Dogs Go To Heaven.”
His other work includes “Golden Boy,” an adaptation of Clifford Odets’ classic starring Sammy Davis Jr. He earned another Tony nomination for that.
Strouse collaborated with fellow composer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz on 1986’s “Rags,” starring opera star Teresa Stratas.
In 2008, in celebration of his 80th birthday, Strouse released his autobiography “Put on a Happy Face: A Broadway Memoir.” He shared his experiences of Broadway and Hollywood, and working with Sammy Davis Jr., Bacall, Mel Brooks and Warren Beatty.
He is survived by his children Victoria Strouse, Nicholas Strouse and Will Strouse.
