Howard Ashman Cause Of Death: Alan Menken, an American composer born on July 22, 1949, in Fresh Rochelle, New York, is largely recognized for reviving Disney’s animated films with his charming music. Young Menken entered New York University with the intention of studying medicine but eventually opted to dedicate his time and efforts to music instead. Soon after, he started to support himself by playing in bars, writing commercial jingles, and attending ballet rehearsals.
Menken got his big break in 1979 when Howard Ashman commissioned him to adapt Kurt Vonnegut’s book God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater into a musical. They had some success with that show, but their major break came in 1982 when Little Shop of Horrors premiered off-Broadway. The two musicians reworked their original piece for the 1986 film.
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Howard Ashman Cause Of Death
Howard Ashman, the Oscar-winning lyricist, librettist, writer, and director of the Off-Broadway sensation Little Shop of Horrors died Friday at St. Vincent’s Hospital. A 40-year-old Beacon, New York guy was being questioned. The actor died of AIDS, according to Kyle Renick, creative director of the WPA Theater. Mr. Ashman was the WPA’s creative director when he and Mr. Menken created “Little Shop of Horrors” in 1982.
The musical’s protagonist is a flower shop clerk who sells his soul to a man-eating plant in order to escape it. The highest-grossing and third-longest-running musical off-Broadway was based on a low-budget film and lasted for five years. Mr. Ashman and Mr. Menken were nominated for an Academy Award for their cinematic soundtrack for their musical. In 1989, Mr. Ashman and Mr. Menken collaborated on the Oscar-winning song “Under the Sea” from The Little Mermaid.
The song, which is sung in a calypso manner, is about a crab that attempts to convince a lonely mermaid that she would be better off living in the water rather than on land. Mr. Menken and Mr. Ashman won a Golden Globe and two Grammys for their contributions to the picture. Mr. Ashman’s most recent compositions are the soundtracks for “Beauty and the Beast” and “Aladdin,” both of which were animated movies produced by Disney.
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Career Of Howard Ashman
Howard Ashman and Alan Menken, both of whom had composed music for Disney films, were granted the chance to work on a personal project. Ashman chose The Little Mermaid and composed all seven songs for the film’s soundtrack. Ashman co-wrote the music with Alan Menken and produced the film. Ashman dressed up as Ursula to assist Pat Carroll, who was playing “Poor Unfortunate Souls” with Jodi Benson. In 1989, Ashman and Menken received three Academy Awards for their original music to the picture.
Alan Menken and Howard Ashman were hired to collaborate on new music for the Beauty and the Beast picture. Howard had no desire to assist with yet another Aladdin endeavor, but he had no choice. Walt Disney had the scenario planned out in the 1940s and 1950s, but the animators eventually shelved it because they couldn’t find the proper one. Ashman corrected the most serious flaw with the script that Disney (the filmmaker) had. In the original story, a young girl is taken hostage by a monster until her love for him turns him.
During his speech, Howard made the following statement: “The Beast is the problem that must be resolved. He has till the conclusion of the film to make things right. Because of his generosity, the girl is now free to leave his fortress.” Roy Edward Disney, Walt’s nephew, believed it was time to reanimate Beauty and the Beast. All six of the film’s songs were written by Ashman and Menken.
Because Ashman intended Beauty and the Beast to be a musical, he cast known Broadway performers such as Paige O’Hara, Jerry Orbach, and Angela Lansbury in the parts of Belle, Gaston, and the enchanted furniture. The song “Human Again” was originally intended to be in the film but was deleted from the final draught of the script. By the time the production premiered on Broadway in 1994, the plot gaps had been filled, and the song had become a major hit as a consequence.
An IMAX film from 2002 included a computer-generated version of the song. While The Little Mermaid was in development, Ashman and Menken proposed redesigning Aladdin and created many songs for the project. Despite first declining, Ashman ended up assisting Beauty and the Beast. Three of Ashman’s songs, “Arabian Nights,” “Friend Like Me,” and “Prince Ali,” reached the final edit.
The directors, Ron Clements, and John Musker contemplated recruiting Alan Menken and Howard Ashman to create a song for the Magic Carpet ride, but they didn’t have enough time. Tim Rice was requested to complete the lyrics for Aladdin while working on another project, King of the Jungle.
In Conclusion
Howard Ashman is an American lyricist and composer (born Howard Elliott Ashman on May 3, 1950, in Baltimore, Maryland; passed away on March 14, 1991). Alan Menken composed the music for various films, including several Disney animated pictures, while Ashman wrote the lyrics. When Ashman and Menken collaborated on Little Shop of Horrors, Ashman directed wrote the lyrics, and wrote the book, while Menken contributed music from Beauty and the Beast.
Together, Ashman and Menken received four major honors. Following his death, Bill Launch collected the Academy Award for Best Song on his behalf. For the first time, the Academy bestowed a posthumous award on someone who died as a result of AIDS. Ashman died on March 14, 1991, at the age of 40, when production on the films Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin was still in progress. In order to complete the music for Aladdin, Tim Rice was called in by Ashman and Menken after they had finished the score for Beauty and the Beast.
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