Marvin Hamlisch Died Suddenly at 68 Years Old

Award winning composer & conductor Marvin Hamlisch passed away on Monday at the age of 68. Family members are reporting that Marvin was in California when he collapsed and died, after suffering a brief illness.

Marvin Hamlisch has had quite a musical career, and won several awards for the music he composed. He is one of only eleven people to win an Oscar, Grammy, Tony, and Pulitzer Prize Award for his work. Some of his greatest compositions include Broadway's "A Chorus Line", "They're Playing Our Song" and "The Goodbye Girl."

In the world of film and television, Marvin is probably best known for composing the title track to the film "The Way We Were" starring Barbra Streisand. Marvin actually served as Barbra's rehearsal pianist for "The Way We Were" and the two have remained friends since they first met in 1963. Barbra Streisand released a statement on her website www.barbrastreisand.com that says "I'm devastated. He was my dear friend. He's been in my life ever since the first day I met him in 1963, when he was my rehearsal pianist for Funny Girl. He played at my wedding in 1998 and recently for me at a benefit for women's heart disease. The world will remember Marvin for his brilliant musical accomplishments, from A Chorus Line to The Way We Were, and so many others, but when I think of him now, it was his brilliantly quick mind, his generosity, and delicious sense of humor that made him a delight to be around. Just last night, I was trying to reach him, to tell him how much I loved him, and that I wanted to use an old song of his, that I had just heard for the first time. He was a true musical genius, but above all that, he was a beautiful human being. I will truly miss him. Barbra Streisand."

Marvin Hamlisch is also a well known icon in Buffalo, after serving as the pops music director for the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra in the early 2000's.