Image source, Getty Images
- author, Malo Corcino
- Role, BBC News
Composer Richard M. Sherman, who wrote songs for classic Disney films like Mary Poppins and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, has died at the age of 95 in Beverly Hills.
Sherman co-starred with his late brother Robert, and the duo won Academy Awards in 1965 for their work on Mary Poppins.
Some of the brothers’ most famous compositions include The Jungle Book’s Trust in Me and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang’s Truly Scrumptious.
He was announced dead In a statement from DisneyShe said Sherman died “of an age-related illness” at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.
The Sherman Brothers were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2005 and received the US National Medal of Arts in 2008.
Aristocats, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, and Winnie the Pooh shorts were among other Disney productions that featured her lyrics and music.
The brothers were portrayed in the movie Saving Mr. Banks’ 2013 film, which told the story of the making of Mary Poppins.
Released one year after his brother’s death, in March 2012, the film saw actors Jason Schwartzman and PJ Novak play the brothers as they composed and co-wrote the film’s hit songs.
Image source, Getty Images
Image source, Getty Images
Their catchy and energetic song “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” was a hit, entering the Billboard Hot 100 in 1965.
Over the course of his 65-year career, Sherman became part of Walt Disney’s “inner circle of creative talent,” the entertainment company said.
The Disney statement added that he was born in New York City on June 12, 1928, won three Grammy Awards, and had 24 gold and platinum albums.
His service to the arts industry also resulted in a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
As reported by American media, the Sherman brothers wrote more than 150 songs at Disney, including scores for the 1961 film Parent Trap, which had a new lease of life in 1998 starring a young Lindsay Lohan.
Sherman continued to play an active role in producing musical compositions into his advanced age. In 2023, he wrote a new song with composer Fabrizio Mancinelli for the animated short film Mushka by Disney legend Andreas Degas.
Sherman is survived by his wife, Elizabeth Sherman, his children and grandchildren.
His funeral is scheduled to be held on May 31 in California.
Image source, Getty Images
