Playwright Neil Simon, The King of Broadway Comedies and Dramas, Dies at 91, Winner of three Tony Awards, Pulitzer Prize

Neil Simon is dead at 91. He or she suffered for many years from Alzheimer’s. But here would have been a genius who started writing for Sid Caesar and went to end up being the most successful playwright ever on Broadway along with the world– except Shakespeare.

Among Simon’s hit shows were numerous “Barefoot within the Park” to “The Odd Couple” to his famed trilogy of? “Brighton Beach Memoirs” (1983), “Biloxi Blues” (1985) and “Broadway Bound” (1986).

My personal favorite Simon script was for any movie, directed by Elaine May, called “The Heartbreak Kid,” from 1972.

Simon won three Tony Awards Best Play, together with over a dozen other nominations. He won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1991 for “Lost in Yonkers,” the play that made Kevin Spacey a star.

Simon’s plays introduced countless stars to film, stage and tv producing the careers of men and women like Matthew Broderick, Tony Randall and Jack Klugman (who have been already stars but solidified by “The Odd Couple” on the telly), Jane Fonda and Robert Redford, and many others.

He was married 4 times. His first wife, Joan, died in 1993. Simon married actress Marsha Mason, which took over as theme for his hit play “Chapter Two.” He married again, briefly, and then married actress Elaine Joyce in 1999. He leaves three daughters.

Among his other recognized hits: “The lighting Boys,” “Plaza Suite,” “California Suite,” “Sweet Charity,” “Promises, Promises,” and “Murder by Death.” There was seasons when Simon had one, two, or three shows running at the same time.

Simon had not been photographed in public places since 2014 but he previously had been in decline for some time. Nevertheless he kept his love of life, and Elaine Joyce been shown to be the right companion and devoted wife.

There’s a theater named for Simon on Broadway–on West 52nd St. formerly the Alvin, named in 1983 as he had been greatly a modern day and thriving playwright. Undoubtedly the lights of Broadway will likely be dimmed at matinees today possibly at performances the subsequent 1 week. Neil Simon was literally the backbone of Broadway for decades. He deserves every accolade.