Portrait

Howard Ashman

Born: 17 May 1950Baltimore, USA
Died: 14 March 1991New York City, USA · aged 40

Lyricist and playwrightUnited States35th anniversary of death

Howard Ashman

A lyricist and dramatist who helped restore the musical to the heart of Disney animation.

Howard Elliott Ashman was born in Baltimore in 1950. Theatre absorbed him from childhood, and after studying he moved to New York, where he helped establish the WPA Theatre. With Alan Menken he created “Little Shop of Horrors” (1982), writing its book and lyrics as well as directing it.

Their collaboration later transformed animated film. For “The Little Mermaid” (1989), Menken’s music and Ashman’s lyrics gave the characters motives and emotional lives that could unfold through song. “Under the Sea” won the Academy Award for Best Original Song.

Ashman learned that he was HIV-positive in 1988. He continued working on “Beauty and the Beast” and “Aladdin” as his health declined, with colleagues travelling to New York so that he could remain involved. His partner Bill Lauch was part of the life he had built there.

Ashman died in March 1991, aged 40, before “Beauty and the Beast” opened. The film’s dedication credited him with giving a mermaid her voice and a beast his soul. When its title song won an Oscar in 1992, Lauch accepted Ashman’s award on his behalf.

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