Playwright Terrence McNally Dies of Complications from Coronavirus at 81

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Playwright Terrence McNally Dies of Complications from Coronavirus at 81

Tony Award-winning Playwright Terrence McNally (Love! Valour! Compassion!, Master Class, Kiss of the Spider Woman and many more) has died of complications from coronavirus. He was 81.

Broadway.com reports: “Terrence McNally, the celebrated playwright and librettist who penned an award-winning body of work ranging from drama to farce to musical comedy, died on March 24 at Sarasota Memorial Hospital in Sarasota, FL, according to publicist Matt Polk. The cause of death was complications due to coronavirus; McNally was a lung cancer survivor who lived with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.”

McNally is survived by his husband, producer Tom Kirdahy.

Adds Theatermania: “Over the course of his career, McNally was awarded four Tony Awards: Best Book of a Musical for both Kiss of the Spider Woman in 1992 and Ragtime in 1998; and Best Play for both Love! Valour! Compassion in 1995 and Master Class in 1996. His credits in the 2000s included the books for The Full Monty, The Visit, and Anastasia. His beloved romance Frankie and Johnny at the Claire de Lune reached Broadway in the summer of 2019 in celebration of his 80th birthday.”

A few of the tributes to McNally:

Heartbroken over the loss of Terrence McNally, a giant in our world, who straddled plays and musicals deftly. Grateful for his staggering body of work and his unfailing kindness.

— Lin-Manuel Miranda (@Lin_Manuel) March 24, 2020

RIP Terrence McNally, the legendary playwright behind FRANKIE AND JOHNNY IN THE CLAIR DE LUNE, THE RITZ, LOVE! VALOUR! COMPASSION!, and so much more. Thanks for the indelible characters and masterful words you shared with us, Terrence. pic.twitter.com/5RShhZCCbm

— The Black List (@theblcklst) March 24, 2020

Terrence McNally did so much to humanize and validate LGBT experiences and lives. Such a loss.t.co/IVPfvZRzCw

— Sewell Chan (@sewellchan) March 24, 2020

Saddened to hear of the passing of Terrence McNally. He was an absolute gentleman and his commitment to the theatre was unwavering. He will be missed by so many of us x

— James Corden (@JKCorden) March 24, 2020

There’s a tragic symmetry in the notion that someone who lived through and wrote so eloquently about the AIDS epidemic should be felled at age 81 by a different plague.

— Ari Shapiro (@arishapiro) March 24, 2020

So very sad to hear that Terrence McNally has passed away. Deepest condolences to his husband Tom Kirdahy. xoxo

— Betty Buckley (@BettyBuckley) March 24, 2020

The post Playwright Terrence McNally Dies of Complications from Coronavirus at 81 appeared first on Towleroad Gay News.