Legendary Hairspray producer dies aged 49 after brief cancer battle
Legendary Broadway producer Adam Epstein has died at the age of 49 after a short battle with cancer.
Epstein won a Tony Award for producing Hairspray before he was 30 and was nominated for other films, including for his work on revivals of Amadeus and The Crucible.
His family reported that he died Tuesday at Adventist Health hospital in Glendale, California.
His brother Brett posted on Facebook that it was with “the heaviest heart” that he announced his brother’s death.
His brother added that Epstein died after “a very short but incredibly debilitating battle with a brain tumor.”
His family said Epstein, seen here, died Tuesday at Adventist Health hospital in Glendale, California.
Epstein had already won a Tony Award for producing Hairpray before he was 30 and received other nominations for his work on revivals of Amadeus and The Crucible
In his heartbreaking message, his brother wrote: ‘It is with deep sadness and a heavy heart that I must announce the passing of my beloved brother and best friend Adam Epstein.
‘Adam, who would have turned 50 on September 7, tragically lost a short but incredibly debilitating battle with a brain tumor (Gliosarcoma).
‘My entire family is devastated and in shock at his loss. A huge part of me died yesterday after he passed away and I can’t imagine a world I would live in without him.
“I’m going to have to move forward somehow. Adam, I feel so honored to have called you my brother.
‘There will never be anyone else like you. You were a dynamo, a star, a true one of a kind. I will miss you forever and I wouldn’t be who I am today if I didn’t have you in my life.
“You were a wonderful brother to our younger sister Logan Epstein and an exceptional brother-in-law to my wife Natalie Epstein.
‘I am so grateful that Hazel and Oliver got to know their “Uncle Addy” and I promise Sophie and baby Lucy will also know what an incredible person and spirit you were.
My heart breaks for my parents because no parent should ever lose a child, regardless of age.
“Mom and Dad, although I am now your only son here on earth, Adam is with you forever through me, my children, and in all of our hearts and memories. Adam, I love you.”
Epstein and Marc Shaiman at Hairspray Opening Night Los Angeles – After Party at Henry Fonda Theatre in Hollywood, California
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