Cats choreographer Gillian Lynne dies at 92
Tributes paid to former ballerina behind West End’s biggest shows
TRIBUTES were today being paid to legendary West End choreographer Dame Gillian Lynne, who has died at the age of 92.
Dame Gillian, who started her career as a ballerina and went on to choreograph hugely successful musicals such as Cats and Phantom Of The Opera, died last night at the Princess Grace Hospital in Marylebone.
The news comes just days after the West End’s New London Theatre was renamed the Gillian Lynne Theatre in her honour.
Her husband, the actor Peter Land, announced the death of his “dearest wife & friend & love for 40 years” and said: “She leaves behind a huge legacy & is adored by many”.
A major influence on dance and musical theatre, Lynne was best known for her work with Andrew Lloyd Webber.
Lord Lloyd-Webber tweeted: “Farewell dearest Gillie, three generations of the British musical owe so much to you. With love, Andrew”.
Dame Gillian began her 50-year career as a dancer with Sadler’s Wells before moving to the West End at the London Palladium. She also performed for the English National Opera and Royal Shakespeare Company.
Fellow choreographer Sir Matthew Bourne tweeted: “RIP Dear Gillie. Your spirit & love of dance & dancers lives on in all of us who share that love.”
Singer and actress Elaine Paige, who played the lead in the original production of Cats, said: “RIP dear friend and teacher. I raise a glass to you tonight with tears in my eyes.”
Actor David Suchet said: “I had the honour and privilege to have been choreographed by her and present her with a lifetime achievement award. A wonderful person and dear friend.”
Singer Michael Ball said she was “one of the most important, constant and supportive figures in my career and the most beautiful lady inside and out.”
She was the first non-royal woman to have a West End theatre named after her, and she directed more than 50 productions on the West End and Broadway and received two
O l i v i e r Aw a r d s . Her many credits include the stage versions of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and the Muppets TV show. She was made a Dame Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire for services to dance and musical theatre in 2014.
Last month, theatrical producer Cameron Mackintosh renamed the New London Theatre in her honour in an eccentric ceremony during which she was carried on stage on a golden throne f l a n ke d by dancers from Cats.