Richard Sherman, of the Sherman Brothers Team Behind Mary Poppins, The Jungle Book and More, Dies at 95

Richard M. Sherman, half of the award-winning sibling songwriting team behind Disney’s Mary Poppins, died on May 25 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Beverly Hill, CA. The news was confirmed by the Walt Disney Company, which published a tribute to the prolific composer. He was 95.

Over the course of his 65-year career, Sherman earned nine Academy Award nominations with his older brother, Robert B. Sherman, winning two in 1964—one for the score for Mary Poppins and one for “Chim Chim Cher-ee,” which won the award for Best Original Song. Mary Poppins also earned him and his brother a 1964 Grammy Award, earning a second Grammy in 1975 for the music they composed for the animated featurette Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too.

The Sherman brothers made their Broadway debut in 1974 with the original musical Over Here!, a follow-up to their off-Broadway musical Victory Canteen. The show was a nostalgic look at the home front during World War II, running for 10 months at the Shubert Theatre and earning five Tony nominations, including Best Musical.

A stage production of Mary Poppins, featuring the Sherman brothers’ award-winning score, ran on Broadway from October 2006 through March 2013. Directed by Richard Eyre, the production earned seven Tony nominations, including Best Musical. The fraternal team also lent music to the 1968 fantasy film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang—a property that came to Broadway in 2005, though it only ran for nine months. The musical still earned five Tony nominations, acknowledging performances by Erin Dilly, Marc Kudisch and Jan Maxwell.

The Jungle Book, The Aristocats and Bedknobs and Broomsticks are a few of the other popular Disney properties to which the Shermans lent their musical sensibilities. Also in the Disney universe, the Sherman brothers wrote the world-famous earworm, “It’s a Small World," a song composed for the theme park ride of the same name. In 2005, the Sherman brothers were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and were awarded the National Medal of Arts in 2008.

Richard Sherman was born on June 12, 1928 in Manhattan to Al Sherman, a Russian-Jewish immigrant and Tin Pan Alley songwriter, and Rosa (née Dancis) Sherman, an actress. Richard married Corinne Newman in 1948, divorcing in 1956 and marrying Elizabeth Gluck a year later in 1957. He is survived by his two children from his marriage with Gluck, Gregory and Victoria, as well as his child from his first marriage, Lynda, along with six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. His brother Robert died in 2012.

“You don’t get songs like ‘A Spoonful of Sugar’ without a genuine love of life, which Richard passed on to everyone lucky enough to be around him,” said Pete Docter, Chief Creative Officer of Pixar Animation Studios, in the Walt Disney Company tribute. “Even in his 90s he had more energy and enthusiasm than anyone, and I always left renewed by Richard’s infectious joy for life.”

Bob Iger, CEO of The Walt Disney Company, also commented on Sherman’s legacy: “Richard Sherman was the embodiment of what it means to be a Disney Legend, creating along with his brother Robert the beloved classics that have become a cherished part of the soundtrack of our lives. From films like Mary Poppins and The Jungle Book to attractions like ‘It’s a Small World,’ the music of the Sherman brothers has captured the hearts of generations of audiences. We are forever grateful for the mark Richard left on the world, and we extend our deepest condolences to his family.”