Broadway and Film Composer John Morris Passes Away at 91

According to the New York Times, stage and film composer and frequent collaborator of Mel Brooks, John Morris, passed away from complications of a respiratory infection. He was 91 years old.

Morris was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey. He has had a long career of composing music for Mel Brooks, starting in 1968 with The Producers which was Brooks' first film. Morris continued to write the scores and songs for most of Brooks' films. Morris also composed the music to To Be or Not to Be, a film in which Brooks starred as well as wrote but did not direct. The original music for The Elephant Man, a film that was produced by Brooks, was also scored by Morris.

Just some of Morris' Broadway credits for orchestrations, incidental music and dance arrangements include: Hamlet, Mack & Mabel, Nash at Nine, Much Ado About Nothing, Look to the Lilies, King Lear, Sherry!, A Time for Singing, Baker Street and countless others.

Photo courtesy of The Film Music Society