Composer and Lyricist Sandy Wilson Passes Away Aged 90

Composer and lyricist Sandy Wilson has passed away at the age of 90, his agent confirmed today.

Born in Sale, Manchester, Wilson served in the Royal Ordinance Corps in Great Britain, Egypt and Iraq. While at Oxford, he wrote reviews for the Oxford University Experimental Theatre Club and then attended the Old Vic Theatre School on a production course.

Most of Wilson's work for the stage was material for reviews, such as Slings and Arrows with Hermoine Gingold, Laurier Lister's Oranges and Lemons and See You Later which featured Peter Cook. In 1953 Wilson wrote The Boy Friend for the Players Theatre before it transfer to the Wyndham's Theatre in the West End and then to Broadway in 1954. The latter being notable for being the Broadway debut of Julie Andrews. Other works includes Caprice (1950), The Buccaneer (1955), Valmouth (1958), Pieces Of Eight (1959), Divorce Me Darling! (1964), As Dorothy Parker Once Said (1969), His Monkey Wife (1971), The Clapham Wonder (1978) and Aladdin (1979).