'Hello Dolly' Composer <br />Jerry Herman Dead at 88.<br />The award-winning <br />composer died in Miami <br />of pulmonary complications. <br />Herman won the 1964 and 1983 <br />Tony Awards for best musical for <br />'Hello Dolly' and 'La Cage aux Folles,' respectively.<br />He was also a two-time Grammy <br />winner for song of the year and <br />cast album, for "Hello Dolly" <br />and 'Mame,' respectively.<br />Herman's work is known for its <br />popularity and optimism, in an era <br />when the Broadway musical had evolved <br />into an exploration of complex and darker themes.<br />... critics have sort of tossed me off as the popular and not the cerebral writer, and that was fine with me. That was exactly what I aimed at, Jerry Herman, 1995 Interview, via Fox News.<br />Accepting the Tony for <br />'La Cage Aux Folles,' commented <br />that "the simple, hummable show <br />tune" was "alive and well.".<br />At the 2009 Tony Awards, <br />Herman was bestowed the lifetime <br />achievement award. He is survived <br />by his partner and goddaughters
