Hair Composer Galt MacDermot Dies at 89

Galt MacDermot, the Canadian-American composer who broke ground on Broadway with his score to the iconic musical Hair, died on December 17, just in advance of his 90th birthday, according to The New York Times. 

Born in Montreal on December 18, 1928, MacDermot made his Broadway debut writing the music to Hair (1968), which began at off-Broadway's Public Theater a year earlier. MacDermot also served as musical director on the show, which featured a book and lyrics by Gerome Ragni and James Rado. In addition to earning a Tony nomination for Best Musical, MacDermot's score took off beyond Broadway circles, topping Billboard charts and winning a Grammy for its cast recording.

In 1979, Hair was adapted into a feature film, and in 2008, the Public produced a new staging from director Diane Paulus at Central Park's Delacorte Theater; the production moved to Broadway in 2009, winning the Tony Award for Best Musical Revival. NBC is slated to present the upcoming Hair Live!, directed by Paulus, on May 19, 2019.

MacDermot's other major credit was his music for Two Gentlemen of Verona (1971)—a rock musical adaptation of Shakespeare's comedy—which also began at the Public and moved to Broadway shortly after, netting MacDermot a Tony nom with John Guare for their score, and winning the Tony Award for Best Musical against high-profile competitors including Grease and Follies.

MacDermot's other credits include Dude (1972), Via Galactica (1972) and The Human Comedy (1984). He earned a Grammy Award for the song "African Waltz" in 1960 and was presented with the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada's Lifetime Achievement Award in 2010.