Neil Simon, the Pulitzer Prize- and Tony-winning playwright behind over 30 plays including
The Odd Couple,
Barefoot in the Park and
Biloxi Blues, died Sunday at the age of 91.
Simon’s family confirmed his death in a statement, adding that Simon died of complications from pneumonia at a Manhattan hospital. In recent years, Simon suffered from Alzheimer’s disease.
“Neil Simon’s unparalleled career in the theater included more than thirty plays and musicals that opened on
Broadway over a span of four decades. He made his playwriting debut in 1961, with
Come Blow Your Horn and concluded his extraordinary Broadway run with
45 Seconds From Broadway in 2001,” the statement continued.
“Neil Simon established his reputation writing some of Broadway’s most successful comedies, including
Barefoot in the Park,
The Odd Couple, and
Plaza Suite. Many of his later plays explored darker themes, as those found in
Biloxi Blues,
Broadway Bound and
Lost in Yonkers.”
One of the most successful and acclaimed authors in Broadway history, Simon racked up 17 Tony nominations over a career in theater that spanned 50 years, winning three awards: Best Author in 1965 for
The Odd Couple, Best Play for 1985’s
Biloxi Blues and Best Play for 1991’s
Lost in Yonkers. The latter drama also won the 1991 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Simon also received a special Tony Award for contribution to theatre in 1975.
In addition to Simon’s plays that were adapted for films – like
Barefoot in the Park, The Odd Couple, California Suite, Brighton Beach Memories, to name a few – Simon also penned the original screenplays for Seventies comedies like
The Heartbreak Kid, Murder By Death and
The Sunshine Girl.
