Image source, Getty Images
- author, Marc Crusino
- role, BBC News
Composer Richard M. Sherman, who wrote the songs for classic Disney films such as “Mary Poppins” and “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang,” has died in Beverly Hills at the age of 95.
Sherman teamed up with her late brother Robert to win two Academy Awards in 1965 for their performance in Mary Poppins.
Some of the brothers’ best-known songs include “Trust in Me” from The Jungle Book and “Truly Scrumptious” from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
Disney announced Sherman’s death in a statement, saying he died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles “due to age-related illnesses.”
The Sherman Brothers were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2005 and received the National Medal of Arts in 2008.
Their words and music have been used in Disney productions such as The Aristocats, Bedspreads and Broomsticks, and the Winnie-the-Pooh short films.
The siblings appeared in the 2013 film “Mary Poppins,” which told the behind-the-scenes story of Mary Poppins.
The film was released in March 2012, one year after the brothers’ death, and stars actors Jason Schwartzman and BJ Novak as the two brothers, who also composed and co-wrote the film’s hit songs.
Image source, Getty Images
Image source, Getty Images
Their catchy and energetic song “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” became a pop hit, charting on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1965.
According to the entertainment company, Walt Disney, Sherman was part of the company’s “inner circle of creative talent” over his 65-year career.
He was born in New York City on June 12, 1928, and is a three-time Grammy Award winner and has 24 gold and platinum albums, according to a Disney statement.
His contributions to the arts industry even earned him a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
According to US media reports, the Sherman brothers wrote more than 150 songs for Disney, including the music for the 1961 film “It’s Tough Being Dad,” which was re-released in 1998 starring a young Lindsay Lohan.
Even at an older age, Sherman remains active in composing music, and in 2023 he wrote new songs with composer Fabrizio Mancinelli for Disney legend Andreas Deja’s short animated film “Mushka.”
Sherman is survived by his wife, Elizabeth Sherman, his children and grandchildren.
His funeral will be held in California on May 31st.
Image source, Getty Images
