Writer Thomas Meehan – best known as the writer who brought Harold Gray’s cartoon strip, Little Orphan Annie to Broadway in the form of a musical (Annie) – is dead. He was 88.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the three-time Tony Award winner had been ill for about five months and had undergone surgery recently. He died at his home in Manhattan, late Monday or early Tuesday. Reports also suggest that he had cancer and his health had been deteriorating for a while.
Meehan wrote the books for three shows that ran over 2,000 performances on Broadway: Annie with 2,377 performances, The Producers with Mel Brooks at 2,502 performances and Hairspray with Mark O’Donnell at 2,642 performances.
In addition, Meehan was also a long-time contributor of humor to The New Yorker, an Emmy Award-winning writer of television comedy, and a collaborator on a number of screenplays, including Mel Brooks’ Spaceballs, a remake of To Be or Not to Be.
Meehan is survived by his wife, Carolyn Meehan.
Upset with his close friend’s death, Mel Brooks paid tribute to the writer on Twitter today.
Stunned by the news that my friend/co-writer Tom Meehan has died. I’ll miss his sweetness & talent. We have all lost a giant of the theatre. pic.twitter.com/xzJ2vM3hmj
— Mel Brooks (@MelBrooks) August 23, 2017
Others, too, paid tribute to the writer.
RIP to Thomas Meehan, one of the best around.
— Lin-Manuel Miranda (@Lin_Manuel) August 22, 2017
Privileged to work with musical theatre legend Thomas Meehan on Bombay Dreams on Broadway. Sweet funny and so kind. And what a legacy ???? https://t.co/1wPrPCbrmk
— MeeraSyal (@MeeraSyal) August 23, 2017
Master librettist Thomas Meehan (left) won Tonys for writing Hairspray, The Producers, and Annie. He will be missed. Rest in peace. pic.twitter.com/vIpwjxCOBV
— The Tony Awards (@TheTonyAwards) August 22, 2017
Pic: BEI/BEI/Shutterstock (418188y)
