Music theater icon Stephen Sondheim has died aged 91

Legendary American composer and songwriter Stephen Sondheim has died at the age of 91. His lawyer told the New York Times that Sondheim died Friday at his home in Roxbury, Connecticut. He is the titan of musical theater, turning the most extraordinary subjects into entertainment attractions.

He wrote scores for some of Broadway's most acclaimed shows during his illustrious career, including Company, Follies, and A Little Night Music Sondheim also wrote the lyrics for West Side Story.

The New York-born composer has won eight Grammy Awards, nine Tony Awards - including one special for life in theater - and one Oscar. He also received the Pulitzer Prize. His ballad Send in the Clowns - from the 1973 musical A Little Night Music - has been recorded hundreds of times, including Frank Sinatra and Judy Collins.

In 2015, US President Barack Obama was awarded the Sondheim Presidential Medal of Freedom - the highest civilian award - for his work. Stephen Sondheim: Music theater giant with the ability to adapt impossible themes. Sondheim's lawyers said the composer celebrated Thanksgiving with friends the day before his death.

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio wrote on Twitter: "Stephen Sondheim creates fantastic worlds and characters, but the heart of every story he tells is a child from New York. And this kid is a legend. Unfortunately, one of the brightest lights on Broadway tonight is dark. Rest in peace."

American actress and singer Anna Kendrick said that doing Sondheim's work was "one of the greatest privileges of my career," adding that the composer's death was a "devastating loss." Journalist Faye O'Toole published a letter on Twitter from Sondheim in 2011 when she was a "16-year-old theater fanatic".

He said it "made me cry for weeks and pushed me to a career in art and writing. Thanks for everything. Don't worry."