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(Adds details about working outside of Disney, paragraph 4) by Rich McKay
Richard Sherman, 95, the man behind famous Disney songs that have enchanted generations, such as “It’s a Small World (After all)” and the Mary Poppins songs “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious”, “Chim Chim Cher-ee” and “Spoon full of Sugar” died on Saturday, the Walt Disney Co announced on its website.
He died in a hospital in Beverly Hills, California. The cause was only listed as an “age-related illness,” according to a Disney obituary.
Sherman was one of the members of the famous songwriting team “The Sherman Brothers”, along with his late brother Robert Sherman, and was considered part of Walt Disney’s inner creative circle.
Among non-Disney films, the Sherman brothers wrote the songs for the highly successful 1968 children’s film “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.”
The brothers were considered the most prolific composers and lyricists of the era. They have written more than 200 songs and been nominated for nine Academy Awards, won two Academy Awards and three Grammy Awards, as well as 24 gold and platinum albums over a decades-long career.
“Richard Sherman was the epitome of what it means to be a Disney legend, creating with his brother Robert the beloved classics that have become a treasured part of the soundtrack of our lives,” said Bob Iger, CEO of Walt Disney, in a press release.
Before beginning his career as a songwriter, he majored in music at Bard College and served in the U.S. Army, where he was a marching band and glee club conductor in the early 1950s.
In 2005, both brothers were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Three years later, they received the National Medal of the Arts, presented at the White House.
Robert Sherman preceded him in death in 2012.
Sherman is survived by his wife of 66 years, Elizabeth, his son Gregory and many other family members. Plans for a utility have not been announced.
