Les Misérables' Tony-Winning Lyricist Herbert Kretzmer Dies at 95

Herbert Kretzmer, who won a 1987 Tony Award for penning the lyrics to the musical Les Misérables, has died at the age of 95. The New York Times reports that his agent Marc Berlin confirmed Kretzmer passed away on October 14 at his home in London.

Born on October 5, 1925 in Kroonstad, South Africa, Kretzmer was first a journalist, writing first for the Johannesburg Sunday Express. He then relocated to London in 1954 and wrote features and columns for the city's newspapers, serving as the theater critic for The Daily Express for 16 years and as a television critic for The Daily Mail for eight.

In addition to being a journalist, Kretzmer wrote lyrics for the BBC's satirical television program That Was The Week That Was. He also collaborated with French singer Charles Aznavour on numerous songs, including international hits "She" and "Yesterday, When I was Young."

Producer Cameron Mackintosh approached Kretzmer about taking on the English retelling of the French musical Les Misérables. The show opened on October 8, 1985 at the Barbican Centre in London. Then, on December 4, 1985, the show transferred to the Palace Theatre and moved again on April 3, 2004 to the Queens Theatre, now called the Sondheim Theatre. As previously announced, Les Misérables - The Staged Concert is set to return to the West End for a six-week limited run from December 5 through January 17, 2021 to coincide with the musical’s 35th year on Shaftesbury Avenue.

The show premiered on Broadway in 1987, earning eight Tony Awards, including one for Kretzmer's lyrics and one of Best Musical. That production earned Kretzmer as Grammy Award the following year and ran until 2003. There have been two Les Misérables revivals on the Great Bright Way since. A 2012 film version, starring Anne Hathaway and Hugh Jackman, earned over $440 million at the box office.

In addition to Les Misérables, Kretzmer also wrote the 1960s West End shows Our Man Crichton and The Four Musketeers.

Kretzmer is survived by his second wife Sybil Sever, two children, Danielle and Matthew, from his first marriage to the late Elisabeth Margaret Wilson and two grandsons.