Marvin Hamlisch, Composer of A Chorus Line and The Way We Were, Dead at 68

Veteran of film, television and stage died Monday in Los Angeles after a brief illness

Veteran composer Marvin Hamlisch cowrote one of Broadway's quintessential show tunes, A Chorus Line's "One."

And, like the song he bequeathed to aspiring performers everywhere, he was indeed a singular sensation.

Hamlisch died Monday in Los Angeles after a brief illness. He was 68.

The composer's death was confirmed to E! News by a family spokesman, who did not provide additional details.

Over a sprawling 40-year career that encompassed film, stage, television and records, the prolific composer gained fame for writing catchy tunes that people hummed long after leaving a theater, and for swooning, haunting melodies that burrowed themselves into one's psyche.

His oeuvre comprises some of the best-known and loved melodies of the late 20th century, including the score and title song from The Way We Were; "Through the Eyes of Love" from Ice Castles; as well as the scores for The Sting and Sophie's Choice.

His contributions to Broadway were significant, and he composed the music to some of its most celebrated shows, including A Chorus Line, They're Playing Our Song, The Sweet Smell of Success and The Goodbye Girl.

He had recently collaborated with Jerry Lewis on a musical version of The Nutty Professor, which had been playing in Nashville.

Over the course of 40 films, eight musicals and countless TV shows, he racked up awards in every medium, including three Oscars, a Tony and Pulitzer Prize for A Chorus Line, along with several Grammys and Emmys.

He remains among only a handful of artists to do so, earning him a rare and prized place among the creative community's most lustrous, and deeply missed, talents.