Born in New York City on July 10, 1931, Jerry Herman (born Gerald Sheldon
Herman) died in Miami on December 26, 2019, at the age of 88. He was one of the
most important composers of musicals of his generation. His hits include Hello,
Dolly! (1964), Mame (1966) and La Cage aux Folles (1983), which ran on Broadway
for several years running and have been frequently revived since. The only son
of a gymnastics teacher and an English teacher, both amateur musicians, he
learned to play the piano at the age of six, taking no outside lessons and
playing by ear, without deciphering sheet m...