Besties, we are still getting over the shock of last night’s news that the legendary composer and songwriter Stephen Sondheim has sadly passed away aged 91.

Sondheim is responsible for some of the most iconic scores in musical theatre, including Company, Sweeney Todd, Into the Woods, Follies, A Little Night Music, Merrily We Roll Along, Sunday in the Park with George, Assassins, Passion and many more. He also acted as the lyricist for West Side Story.

Across his incredibly successful career, he won eight Grammy awards, nine Tony awards, five Olivier awards, an Academy Award and a Pulitzer Prize.

Oscar Hammerstein II (The King and I, Oklahoma!) became Sondheim’s mentor at the start of his career but his big break came when he was asked to write the lyrics for West Side Story at the age of 27, which has been an unrivalled success since its opening on Broadway in 1957.

On his 80th birthday in 2010, a Broadway theatre was renamed in his honour, then on his more recent 90th birthday, the Queen’s Theatre in the West End was rebranded as the Sondheim Theatre.

We have lost a gentleman who has shaped our industry across three generations but although he’s gone, his music will live on for many more to come. Thank you Mr Sondheim. May his memory be a blessing.