Editing Jonathan Larson

{{Short description|American composer, lyricist and playwright (1960–1996)}}
{{for|the American journalist|Jonathan Larsen}}
{{redirect|Jon Larson|other people with similar names|John Larson (disambiguation)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2021}}
{{Infobox writer
| name             = Jonathan Larson
| image            = Jonathan Larson.jpg
| birth_name       = Jonathan David Larson
| birth_date       = {{birth date|1960|2|4}}
| birth_place      = [[Mount Vernon, New York]], U.S.
| death_date       = {{death date and age|1996|1|25|1960|2|4}}
| death_place      = New York City, U.S.
| occupation       = {{hlist | Composer|lyricist|playwright}}
| education        = [[Adelphi University]] ([[Bachelor of Fine Arts|BFA]])
| notableworks     = {{ubl|''[[Rent (musical)|Rent]]'' (1996)|''[[Tick, Tick... Boom!]]'' (2001)|''[[Superbia (musical)|Superbia]]'' (not officially published)}}
| years_active     = 1982–1996
}}
'''Jonathan David Larson''' (February 4, 1960 – January 25, 1996) was an American composer, lyricist and playwright, most famous for writing the musicals ''[[Rent (musical)|Rent]]'' and ''[[Tick, Tick... Boom!]]'', which explored the social issues of [[multiculturalism]], [[substance use disorder]], and [[homophobia]].

Larson had worked on both musicals throughout the late 1980s and into the 1990s. After several years of workshopping, ''Rent'' began an Off-Broadway run in early 1996, though Larson died from an [[aortic dissection]] the day before its first preview performance. The show went on to enjoy critical and commercial success, and transferred to Broadway that April, one of the [[List of the longest-running Broadway shows|longest-running Broadway productions]]. Larson posthumously received three [[Tony Award]]s and the [[Pulitzer Prize for Drama]]. ''Rent'' was also adapted into [[Rent (film)|a 2005 film]]. ''Tick, Tick... Boom!'' received an Off-Broadway production in 2001, and was also adapted into [[Tick, Tick... Boom! (film)|a 2021 film]].

==Early years==
Jonathan David Larson was born on February 4, 1960, in [[Mount Vernon, New York]], to Nanette née Notarius (1927–2018)<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-02-11 |title=Obituaries in Westchester, NY {{!}} The Journal News |url=https://www.lohud.com/obituaries/wjn129447 |access-date=2024-12-23 |website=lohud.com |language=en}}</ref> and Allan Larson (1925–2021)<ref>{{Cite web |last=Harms |first=Talaura |date=2022-01-03 |title=Allan Larson, Father of Rent Creator Jonathan Larson, Dies |url=https://playbill.com/article/allan-larson-father-of-rent-creator-jonathan-larson-dies}}</ref> of [[White Plains, New York]].<ref name = JUCM>{{cite news|url = https://www.jucm.com/story-jonathan-one-week-january/|title = The Story of Jonathan— One Week in January|date = June 15, 2009|work = Journal of Urgent Care Medicine|publisher = [[Urgent Care Association]]|accessdate = October 2, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news | url=https://deadline.com/2022/01/allan-larson-dead-father-playwright-jonathan-larson-1234903471/ | title=Allan Larson Dies: Father Of Playwright Jonathan Larson And Caretaker Of Legacy | first=Greg | last=Evans | work=[[Deadline Hollywood]] | date=January 1, 2022 | access-date=April 1, 2022 | archive-date=April 1, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220401005251/https://deadline.com/2022/01/allan-larson-dead-father-playwright-jonathan-larson-1234903471/ | url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.lohud.com/obituaries/wjn129447 | title=Nanette T. Larson Obituary (1927-2018) | work=[[The Journal News]] | date=February 11, 2019}}</ref><ref name=pbs>{{cite web | url=https://www.pbs.org/wnet/broadway/stars/jonathan-larson/ | title=Jonathan Larson | publisher=[[PBS]] | access-date=April 1, 2022 | archive-date=April 20, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220420183727/https://www.pbs.org/wnet/broadway/stars/jonathan-larson/ | url-status=live }}</ref> His family was Jewish.<ref>{{Cite news | url=https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/stephen-sondheims-last-message/ | title=Stephen Sondheim's last message | first=BRIGIT | last=GRANT | work=[[Jewish News]] | date=December 9, 2021 | access-date=April 1, 2022 | archive-date=January 18, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220118004005/https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/stephen-sondheims-last-message/ | url-status=live }}</ref> His grandfather, Bernard Isaac Lazarson, who was born in Russia, changed the family surname from Lazarson.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.jewishtampa.com/jews-in-the-news/jews-in-news-alana-haim-sean-penn-and-andrew-garfield | title=Jews in News: Alana Haim, Sean Penn and Andrew Garfield | work=Tampa JCCS and Federation | date=November 25, 2021 | access-date=December 1, 2021 | archive-date=December 1, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211201215214/https://www.jewishtampa.com/jews-in-the-news/jews-in-news-alana-haim-sean-penn-and-andrew-garfield | url-status=live }}</ref> At an early age, Larson played the trumpet and tuba, sang in his school's choir, and took piano lessons. His early musical influences and his favorite rock musicians included [[Elton John]], [[The Doors]], [[The Who]], and [[Billy Joel]], as well as the classic composers of musical theatre, especially [[Stephen Sondheim]]. He also loved [[Pete Townshend]], [[The Police]], [[Prince (musician)|Prince]], [[Liz Phair]], and [[The Beatles]].<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.americantheatre.org/1996/07/01/jonathan-larson-talks-about-his-writing-process-and-rent/ | title=Jonathan Larson Talks About His Writing Process and Making 'Rent' | first=JOHN | last=ISTEL | work=[[Theatre Communications Group]] | date=July 1996 | access-date=April 1, 2022 | archive-date=March 8, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220308032555/https://www.americantheatre.org/1996/07/01/jonathan-larson-talks-about-his-writing-process-and-rent/ | url-status=live }}</ref> Larson attended [[White Plains High School]], where he was also involved in acting, performing in lead roles in various productions, graduating in 1978.<ref name="melg"/> He had a sister, Julie.

Larson attended [[Adelphi University]] in [[Garden City, New York]], with a four-year scholarship as an acting major, in addition to performing in numerous plays and musical theatre, graduating in 1982 with a [[Bachelor of Fine Arts]] degree. Larson stopped acting to focus on compositions.{{cn|date=March 2025}} During his college years, he began music composition, composing music first for small student productions, called cabarets, and later the score to a musical entitled ''[[The Book of Good Love]]'' (''Libro de Buen Amor''), written by the department head, Jacques Burdick, who was also Larson's college mentor.{{cn|date=March 2025}}

As a student at Adelphi University, Larson co-wrote ''[[Sacrimmoralinority]],'' a [[Brechtian]]-themed cabaret musical and his first musical, with David Glenn Armstrong.{{cn|date=March 2025}} It was first staged at Adelphi University in the winter of 1981. After Larson and Armstrong graduated in 1982, they renamed it ''Saved! - An Immoral Musical on the Moral Majority.'' It played a four-week showcase run at Rusty's Storefront Blitz, a small theatre on 42nd Street in New York, Manhattan, and won both authors a writing award from [[ASCAP]].{{cn|date=March 2025}}

After graduating, Larson participated in a [[summer stock theatre]] program at the [[The Barn Theatre|Barn Theatre]] in [[Augusta, Michigan]], as a piano player, which resulted in his earning an [[Equity card]] for membership in the [[Actors' Equity Association]].{{cn|date=March 2025}}

==Works==
===''Superbia''===
{{main|Superbia (musical)}}
In 1983, Larson planned to write a musical adaptation of [[George Orwell]]'s book ''[[Nineteen Eighty-Four]]'', which he planned to get produced in the year 1984; however, the Orwell estate denied him permission. Larson then began the process of adapting his work on 1984 into a futuristic story of his own, titled ''[[Superbia (musical)|Superbia]]''.<ref name=heard>{{Cite news | url=https://www.playbill.com/article/5-jonathan-larson-songs-youve-probably-never-heard | title=5 Jonathan Larson Songs You've Probably Never Heard | first=JENNIFER ASHLEY | last=TEPPER | work=[[Playbill]] | date=October 9, 2018 | access-date=April 1, 2022 | archive-date=April 1, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220401005117/https://www.playbill.com/article/5-jonathan-larson-songs-youve-probably-never-heard | url-status=live }}</ref>

''Superbia'' was modified many times. In the first drafts, the story, set in the year 2064, followed the character Josh Out, a member of OUTLAND, a society where emotions are erased from everyone at birth. Due to complications at birth, Josh maintained his emotions, and spent his life as an inventor, searching for something that could wake up the rest of his family and society. One day, Josh discovers a Music Box, which has the power to bring emotions to the other members of OUTLAND. He meets Elizabeth In, a girl his age from INCITY, who convinces him to spread the power of the music box. Josh travels to INCITY, where the INs live. The INs are the celebrities of this society who spend their days having their scripted lives filmed and transmitted to the OUTs as entertainment. In INCITY, Josh must face the temptations of fame in order to succeed on his mission. By the time Larson finished his final draft of the show, it was a much darker piece that took a deeper look into the power of emotions and mankind's attachment to technology. In this version, Josh was already married to Elizabeth at the beginning of the story and they are both OUTs. Like the other OUTs, Elizabeth is addicted to technology, and is unable to truly love. As the story begins, Josh leaves Elizabeth in order to find a greater life. Elizabeth wakes up from her technological trance and pursues Josh.<ref>{{Cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=K8akDwAAQBAJ | title=Boho Days: The Wider Works of Jonathan Larson | first=Jonathon | last=Collis | publisher=Outer Obscurity | date=July 17, 2018 | isbn=9783000591129 | access-date=April 1, 2022 | archive-date=April 1, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220401164143/https://books.google.com/books?id=K8akDwAAQBAJ | url-status=live }}</ref>

''Superbia'' won the Richard Rodgers Production Award and the Richard Rodgers Development Grant.<ref name="melg">{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/01/26/nyregion/jonathan-larson-35-composer-of-rock-opera-and-musicals.html | title=Jonathan Larson, 35, Composer of Rock Opera and Musicals | last=Gussow | first=Mel | author-link=Mel Gussow | work=[[The New York Times]] | date=January 26, 1996 | url-access=limited | access-date=April 1, 2022 | archive-date=April 2, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220402170256/https://www.nytimes.com/1996/01/26/nyregion/jonathan-larson-35-composer-of-rock-opera-and-musicals.html | url-status=live }}</ref> However, despite performances at [[Playwrights Horizons]] and a rock concert version produced by Larson's close friend and producer Victoria Leacock at the [[Village Gate]] in September 1989, ''Superbia'' never received a full production.<ref name=heard/>

In the 2001 three-person musical version of Larson's monologue TICK, TICK... BOOM, the 11 o'clock number from the Musical Comedy version of Superbia, "Come to Your Senses" was included. Another song from ''Superbia'' ("LCD Readout") was included on the 2007 album "[[Jonathan Sings Larson]]". In 2019, the song "One of These Days", originally sung by Josh near the beginning of the early drafts of ''Superbia'', was included on the album "[[The Jonathan Larson Project]]".

On February 4, 2022, "Sextet Montage" was released on streaming platforms as a single.<ref>{{Cite news | url=https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/LISTEN-TICK-TICKBOOM-Releases-Sextet-Montage-From-SUPERBIA-20220204 | title=LISTEN: TICK, TICK...BOOM! Releases 'Sextet Montage' From SUPERBIA | work=[[BroadwayWorld]] | date=February 4, 2022 | access-date=February 5, 2022 | archive-date=February 4, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220204201755/https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/LISTEN-TICK-TICKBOOM-Releases-Sextet-Montage-From-SUPERBIA-20220204 | url-status=live }}</ref>

===''Tick, Tick... Boom!''===
{{main|Tick, Tick... Boom!}}
His next work, completed in 1991, was an autobiographical "rock monologue" entitled ''30/90'', which was later renamed ''Boho Days'' and finally titled ''[[Tick, Tick... Boom!]]'' This piece, written for only Larson with a piano and rock band, drew on his feelings of rejection caused by the disappointment of ''Superbia''. The show was performed off-Broadway at the Village Gate in [[Greenwich Village]], then at the [[Second Stage Theater]] on the [[Upper West Side]]. Both of these productions were produced by Victoria Leacock.{{cn|date=March 2025}} The producer [[Jeffrey Seller]] saw a reading of ''Boho Days'' and expressed interest in producing Larson's musicals. After Larson's death, Victoria Leacock and Robyn Goodman, with the permission of the Larson family, brought in playwright David Auburn to go through Larson’s five versions of the rock monologue, and expand it for three actors. Stephen Oremus was hired to orchestrate and be the musical director, as he had already been working on the tour of ''RENT''. The stage version premiered off-Broadway in 2001 and starred [[Raúl Esparza]] as Larson, a performance for which he earned an [[Obie Award]]. It has since been produced on a West End theatre. A [[Tick, Tick... Boom! (film)|film adaptation of ''tick, tick... BOOM!'']], directed by [[Lin-Manuel Miranda]] and starring [[Andrew Garfield]] (in an [[94th Academy Awards#Winners and nominees|Academy Award nominated]] performance) as Larson, with a rewritten script by [[Steven Levenson]] was released on [[Netflix]] on November 12, 2021.

In 1992, Larson collaborated with fellow composer/lyricists [[Rusty Magee]], Bob Golden, Paul Scott Goodman, and Jeremy Roberts on ''Sacred Cows,'' which was devised and pitched to television networks as a weekly anthology with each episode taking a different Biblical or mythological story and giving it a '90s celebrity twist. The project was shelved due to scheduling conflicts among the five composers but resurfaced over 20 years later in a six-page ''[[Playbill]]'' article. The demo for ''Sacred Cows'' was released on iTunes.<ref>{{cite news | title=How the Feverish Imaginations of Jonathan Larson, Rusty Magee and Friends Birthed the Musical 'Sacred Cows' | url=https://www.playbill.com/article/how-the-feverish-imaginations-of-jonathan-larson-rusty-magee-and-friends-birthed-the-musical-sacred-cows-com-203033 | last=Collis | first=Jonathon | work=[[Playbill]] | date=March 4, 2013 | access-date=April 2, 2022 | archive-date=April 2, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220402051848/https://www.playbill.com/article/how-the-feverish-imaginations-of-jonathan-larson-rusty-magee-and-friends-birthed-the-musical-sacred-cows-com-203033 | url-status=live }}</ref>

Larson's strongest musical theatre influence was [[Stephen Sondheim]], with whom he corresponded, and to whom he occasionally submitted his work for review. One ''tick, tick... BOOM!'' song, called "Sunday," is a homage to Sondheim, who supported Larson, staying close to the melody and lyrics of Sondheim's own song of the same title but turning it from a manifesto about art into a waiter's lament. Sondheim wrote several letters of recommendation for Larson to various producers. Larson later won the Stephen Sondheim Award.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.sigtheatre.org/boheme/larson-and-sondheim/ | title=To Sontag, to Sondheim, to anything taboo! | work=[[Signature Theatre (Arlington, Virginia)|Signature Theatre]] | access-date=April 1, 2022 | archive-date=January 29, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220129012937/https://www.sigtheatre.org/boheme/larson-and-sondheim/ | url-status=live }}</ref>

In addition to his three larger theatrical pieces written before ''Rent'', Larson also wrote music for ''[[J.P. Morgan Saves the Nation]]'';<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/07/07/arts/last-chance.html | title=Last Chance | work=[[The New York Times]] | date=July 7, 1995 | access-date=April 1, 2022 | archive-date=April 1, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220401035817/https://www.nytimes.com/1995/07/07/arts/last-chance.html | url-status=live }}</ref> numerous individual numbers; music for ''[[Sesame Street]]''; music for the children's book cassettes of ''An American Tail'' and ''The Land Before Time''; music for ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' magazine publisher [[Jann Wenner]]; a musical called ''[[Mowgli (musical)|Mowgli]]''; and four songs for the children's video ''[[Away We Go! (children's video)|Away We Go!]]'', which he also conceived with collaborator and composer Bob Golden and directed. He performed in [[John MacLachlan Gray]]'s musical ''[[Billy Bishop Goes to War]]'', which starred his close friend actor [[Roger Bart]]. For his early works, Larson won a grant and award from the [[American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers]] and the [[Gilman & Gonzalez-Falla Theatre Foundation]]'s Commendation Award.<ref name=Life>{{Cite news | last=Pacheco | first=Patrick | title=Life, Death and 'Rent' | url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-04-14-ca-58265-story.html | work=[[Los Angeles Times]] | date=April 14, 1996 | url-access=limited | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201022072045/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-04-14-ca-58265-story.html | archive-date=October 22, 2020 | url-status=live}}</ref>

===''Rent''===
{{main|Rent (musical)}}
[[File:Jonathan Larson .jpg|200px|right|thumb|Larson, year unknown]]
In 1988, playwright [[Billy Aronson]] wanted to create "a musical inspired by [[Giacomo Puccini]]'s ''[[La bohème]]'', in which the luscious splendor of Puccini's world would be replaced with the coarseness and noise of modern New York".<ref name=Led>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/03/17/theater/theather-the-seven-year-odyssey-that-led-to-rent.html | last=Tommasini | first=Anthony | author-link=Anthony Tommasini | title=Theater; The Seven-Year Odyssey that Led to 'Rent' | work=[[The New York Times]] | date=March 17, 1996 | url-access=limited | access-date=April 1, 2022 | archive-date=March 28, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220328020600/https://www.nytimes.com/1996/03/17/theater/theather-the-seven-year-odyssey-that-led-to-rent.html | url-status=live }}</ref>

In 1989, Aronson called [[Ira Weitzman]], asking for ideas for collaborators, and Weitzman introduced Larson to Aronson to collaborate on the new project. Larson came up with the title and suggested moving the setting from the [[Upper West Side]] to [[Lower Manhattan]], where Larson and his roommates lived in a rundown apartment.

''Rent'' started as a staged reading in 1993 at the [[New York Theatre Workshop]], followed by a studio production that played a three-week run a year later. However, the version that is now known worldwide, the result of three years of collaboration and editing between Larson and the producers and director, was not publicly performed before Larson's death as Larson died the day before the first preview performance. The show premiered Off-Broadway on schedule. According to lead performer [[Anthony Rapp]], Larson's parents, who were flying in for the show anyway, gave their blessing to perform the show despite Larson's death a day earlier, and the cast agreed that they would premiere the show by simply singing it through, all the while sitting at three prop tables lined up on stage. But by the time the show got to its high energy "[[La Vie Boheme]]", the cast could no longer contain themselves and did the rest of the show as it was meant to be, minus costumes, to the crowd and the Larson family's approval. Once the show was over, there was a long applause followed by silence which was eventually broken when an audience member shouted out "Thank you, Jonathan Larson."<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=g2CctOLvdaoC | title=Without You: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and the Musical Rent | last=Rapp | first=Anthony | authorlink=Anthony Rapp | publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]] | date=October 31, 2006 | page=136| isbn=9780743269773 }}</ref>

''Rent'' played through its planned engagement to sold-out crowds and was continually extended. The decision was finally made to move the show to a Broadway theatre, and it opened at the [[Nederlander Theatre]] on April 29, 1996.<ref>{{cite news | last=Winer | first=Laurie | title='Rent' Goes Up -- to Broadway | url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-04-30-ca-64130-story.html | work=[[The Los Angeles Times]] | date=April 30, 1996 | url-access=limited | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200803234358/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-04-30-ca-64130-story.html | archive-date=August 3, 2020 | url-status=live}}</ref> In addition to the [[New York Theatre Workshop]], ''Rent'' was produced by [[Jeffrey Seller]], who was introduced to Larson's work when attending an off-Broadway performance of ''Boho Days'', and two of his producer friends who also wished to support the work, [[Kevin McCollum]] and Allan S. Gordon.

For his work on ''Rent'', Larson was posthumously awarded the [[Pulitzer Prize for Drama]],<ref name=Life/> the [[Tony Award for Best Musical]], [[Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical]], and [[Tony Award for Best Original Score]];<ref>{{Cite news | url=https://www.playbill.com/article/rent-master-class-win-top-tonys-com-67959 | title=Rent, Master Class Win Top Tonys | work=[[Playbill]] | date=June 3, 1996 | access-date=April 1, 2022 | archive-date=April 1, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220401005122/https://www.playbill.com/article/rent-master-class-win-top-tonys-com-67959 | url-status=live }}</ref> the [[Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Book of a Musical]], [[Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Music]], and the [[Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lyrics]]; the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Musical; the [[Outer Critics Circle Award]] for Best Musical in the Off-Broadway category; and [[Obie Award]]s for Outstanding Book, Outstanding Lyrics, and Outstanding Music.

Larson's estate was scheduled to earn one-third of the amount earned by ''Rent''.<ref name=price>{{Cite news | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1996/12/14/just-what-is-the-price-of-fame-rent-authors-family-seeks-answer-in-suit/b4ea6837-ba1d-41fd-9821-88eda5968d6a/ | title=JUST WHAT IS THE PRICE OF FAME? 'RENT' AUTHOR'S FAMILY SEEKS ANSWER IN SUIT | first=Paula | last=Span | newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] | date=December 14, 1996 | access-date=April 1, 2022 | archive-date=August 28, 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170828224004/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1996/12/14/just-what-is-the-price-of-fame-rent-authors-family-seeks-answer-in-suit/b4ea6837-ba1d-41fd-9821-88eda5968d6a/ | url-status=live }}</ref>

==Death==
In the days preceding ''Rent''{{'}}s first previews in January 1996, Larson began experiencing pain in his chest and back, fever, dizziness, and shortness of breath. He was assessed at [[Cabrini Medical Center]] on January 21 and at [[St. Vincent's Hospital, Manhattan|St. Vincent's Hospital]] on January 23, but doctors found nothing of concern in X-rays or [[electrocardiogram]]s (EKGs), and variously attributed his symptoms to stress, food poisoning, or a virus; a note from one doctor on an EKG speculated about a possible [[myocardial infarction]], but the matter was not further pursued.<ref name = JUCM/><ref name=Untimely>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/12/13/nyregion/on-the-eve-of-a-new-life-an-untimely-death.html | title=On the Eve of a New Life, an Untimely Death | last=Van Gelder | first=Lawrence | authorlink=Lawrence Van Gelder | work=[[The New York Times]] | date=December 13, 1996 | url-access=limited | access-date=April 1, 2022 | archive-date=February 21, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220221133002/https://www.nytimes.com/1996/12/13/nyregion/on-the-eve-of-a-new-life-an-untimely-death.html | url-status=live }}</ref> Larson continued to complain of severe and persistent pain and discomfort throughout this period.<ref name = Untimely/>

At around 12:30 a.m. on January 25, 1996, the scheduled day of the first preview performance, Larson returned to his apartment from a production meeting, and collapsed in the kitchen.<ref name = Untimely/> During the 3 a.m. hour,{{efn|name = Time|Variously reported as 3:00,<ref name=Led/> "around 3:30",<ref name = Untimely/> or 3:40 a.m.<ref name = JUCM/>}} his body was discovered by his roommate, who called emergency services and attempted CPR.<ref name = JUCM/> Police arrived and pronounced Larson dead at the scene, aged 35.<ref name = JUCM/> The cause of death was found to be an [[aortic dissection]].<ref name = Untimely/> A court found that Larson had been misdiagnosed by doctors at both hospitals he had visited.<ref name=price/> A [[medical malpractice]] lawsuit was settled for an undisclosed amount. The [[New York State Department of Health]] launched an investigation and concluded that it is possible he could have lived if the aortic dissection had been properly diagnosed and treated with [[cardiac surgery]].<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nydailynews.com/archives/news/state-faults-hosps-rent-tragedy-article-1.743185 | title=State Faults Hosps for 'Rent' Tragedy | last1=Nicholson | first1=Joe | last2=Kornblut | first2=Anne | work=[[New York Daily News]] | date=December 13, 1996 | access-date=April 1, 2022 | archive-date=April 1, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220401005251/https://www.nydailynews.com/archives/news/state-faults-hosps-rent-tragedy-article-1.743185 | url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Rosenthal|first=Elisabeth|author-link=Elisabeth Rosenthal|date=13 December 1996|title=2 Hospitals Fined In Wake of Death Of 'Rent' Creator|work=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/12/13/nyregion/2-hospitals-fined-in-wake-of-death-of-rent-creator.html|access-date=July 9, 2022|archive-date=July 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210717200349/https://www.nytimes.com/1996/12/13/nyregion/2-hospitals-fined-in-wake-of-death-of-rent-creator.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Cabrini Medical Center and St. Vincent's Hospital were fined $10,000 and $6,000, respectively.<ref name = JUCM/> 

Larson may have had an undiagnosed case of [[Marfan syndrome]], which increases the risk of aortic dissection; the possibility was publicly promoted by the [[The Marfan Foundation|National Marfan Foundation]] to raise awareness about the condition, at the urging of the New York State Health Department.<ref>{{cite news|date=June 12, 2001|title=No Rest for the Parents of the Parent of 'Rent'|work=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/06/12/theater/no-rest-for-the-parents-of-the-parent-of-rent.html|access-date=July 9, 2022|archive-date=July 9, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220709212559/https://www.nytimes.com/2001/06/12/theater/no-rest-for-the-parents-of-the-parent-of-rent.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Legacy==
''Rent'' played on Broadway at the [[Nederlander Theatre]] from its debut in April 1996 until September 7, 2008.<ref>{{cite news | last=Jones | first=Kenneth | url=https://www.playbill.com/article/rent-extension-hit-show-will-close-sept-7-com-148725 | title=''Rent'' Extension: Hit Show Will Close Sept. 7 | work=[[Playbill]] | date=March 26, 2008 | access-date=November 27, 2021 | archive-date=November 27, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211127015900/https://www.playbill.com/article/rent-extension-hit-show-will-close-sept-7-com-148725 | url-status=live }}</ref> It is the [[List of the longest-running Broadway shows|12th longest running show in Broadway history]]. In addition, it has toured throughout the United States, Canada, Brazil, Japan, United Kingdom, Australia, China, Singapore, Philippines, Mexico, Germany, Poland, and throughout Europe, as well as in other locations. A [[Rent (film)|film version of ''Rent'']] was released in 2005.

After his death, Larson's family and friends started the [[Jonathan Larson Performing Arts Foundation]] to provide monetary grants to artists, especially musical theatre composers and writers, to support their creative work. The Jonathan Larson Grants are now administered by the [[American Theatre Wing]], thanks to an endowment funded by the Foundation and the Larson Family.<ref name=Footnotes>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/17/arts/music/17arts-FOOTNOTES_BRF.html | last=Bloom | first=Julie | title=Footnotes | work=[[The New York Times]] | date=September 16, 2008 | access-date=February 10, 2017 | archive-date=March 6, 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180306022934/http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/17/arts/music/17arts-FOOTNOTES_BRF.html | url-status=live }}</ref>

His [[semi-autobiographical]] musical ''[[Tick, Tick... Boom!]]'' premiered [[Off-Broadway]] in May 2001, toured the United States in 2003, and premiered in London in May 2005. The show was later revived in London's [[West End theatre|West End]] in May 2009 and twice Off-Broadway in June 2014 and October 2016.<ref>[https://www.abouttheartists.com/plays/4290-tick-tick-dot-dot-dot-boom-by-jonathan-larson Tick Tick Boom productions AboutTheArtists]</ref>

In December 2003, Larson's work was given to the [[Library of Congress]]. The collection includes numerous musicals, revues, cabarets, pop songs, dance and video projects – both produced and un-produced.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.loc.gov/item/2006560743?loclr=blogcop | title=Jonathan Larson papers | work=[[Library of Congress]] | access-date=April 1, 2022 | archive-date=April 1, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220401005117/https://www.loc.gov/item/2006560743?loclr=blogcop | url-status=live }}</ref>

Less than three years after ''Rent'' closed on Broadway, the show was revived [[Off-Broadway]] at Stage 1 of [[New World Stages]] just outside the [[Theater District, Manhattan|Theater District]]. The show was directed by Michael Greif, who had directed the original productions. The show began previews on July 14, 2011, and opened August 11, 2011.

[[File:Jonathan Larson Andrew Garfield.jpeg|200px|right|thumb|[[Andrew Garfield]] as Jonathan Larson in ''[[Tick, Tick... Boom! (film)|Tick, Tick... Boom!]]'']]

From October 9 to 14, 2018, [[Feinstein's/54 Below]] presented ''The Jonathan Larson Project'', a concert of several previously unheard songs by Larson. The show was conceived and directed by Jennifer Ashley Tepper. It starred [[George Salazar]], [[Lauren Marcus]], [[Andy Mientus]], [[Krysta Rodriguez]], and Nick Blaemire. A CD of the show was released by Ghostlight Records in April 2019.<ref>{{cite news | title=The Jonathan Larson Project | url=https://54below.com/events/39697/ | work=[[Feinstein's/54 Below]] | access-date=April 8, 2019 | archive-date=April 8, 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190408184034/https://54below.com/events/39697/ | url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.playbill.com/article/the-jonathan-larson-project-album-sets-april-release-date | last=Peikert | first=Mark | title=''The Jonathan Larson Project'' Album Sets April Release Date | work=[[Playbill]] | date=January 28, 2019 | access-date=April 1, 2022 | archive-date=April 1, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220401005119/https://www.playbill.com/article/the-jonathan-larson-project-album-sets-april-release-date | url-status=live }}</ref> A full Off-Broadway version of the project will open at the [[Orpheum Theatre (Manhattan)|Orpheum Theatre]] on March 10, 2025, with previews set to begin February 14.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Hall |first1=Margaret |title=The Jonathan Larson Project Is Headed Off-Broadway |url=https://playbill.com/article/the-jonathan-larson-project-is-headed-off-broadway |website=Playbill |access-date=17 December 2024}}</ref>

Jonathan is portrayed by actor [[Andrew Garfield]] in the biographical musical drama ''[[Tick, Tick... Boom! (film)|Tick, Tick... Boom!]]'' which was released on the streaming service [[Netflix]] on November 19, 2021. The film received generally positive reviews from critics, with high praise for director [[Lin-Manuel Miranda]]’s direction in his directorial debut, score, and musical sequences, and Garfield's performance garnering universal acclaim. It was named one of the best films of 2021 by the [[American Film Institute]], and earned Garfield the [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy]] as well as Best Lead Actor nominations for the [[Academy Award for Best Actor|Academy Award]], [[Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role|Screen Actors Guild Award]] and [[Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Actor|Critics Choice Movie Award]].

===Jonathan Larson Grants===
In memory of Larson, in 1996, the Larson family along with the Jonathan Larson Performing Arts Foundation established an award honoring emerging musical theater writers and composers.<ref>{{Cite news | url=https://www.playbill.com/article/jonathan-larson-award-winners-announced-rapp-testa-and-harris-to-perform-at-ceremony-com-147662 | last=Gans | first=Andrew | title=Jonathan Larson Award Winners Announced; Rapp, Testa and Harris to Perform at Ceremony | work=[[Playbill]] | date=February 14, 2008 | access-date=April 1, 2022 | archive-date=April 1, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220401005119/https://www.playbill.com/article/jonathan-larson-award-winners-announced-rapp-testa-and-harris-to-perform-at-ceremony-com-147662 | url-status=live }}</ref> In 2008, the [[American Theatre Wing]] adopted and continued on the legacy through the Jonathan Larson Grants, an unrestricted cash gift to aid in the creative endeavors of the writers and promote their work.<ref name=Footnotes/> Notable winners of the grant include [[Dave Malloy]], [[Laurence O'Keefe (composer)|Laurence O'Keefe]], [[Nell Benjamin]], [[Amanda Green]], [[Joe Iconis]], [[Pasek and Paul]], [[Shaina Taub]] and [[Michael R. Jackson]].

==Personal life==
In college, Larson dated Victoria Leacock.<ref>{{Cite news | url=https://www.marieclaire.com.au/tick-tick-boom-netflix-true-story | title=The Tragic True Story Behind Netflix's New Musical, 'Tick Tick... Boom!' | first=Jess | last=Pullar | work=[[Marie Claire]] | date=November 22, 2021 | access-date=April 2, 2022 | archive-date=April 22, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220422051527/https://www.marieclaire.com.au/tick-tick-boom-netflix-true-story | url-status=live }}</ref> He also dated a dancer for four years who sometimes left him for other men, though she eventually left him for a woman. These experiences influenced the autobiographical aspects of ''Rent''.

Larson lived and died in a [[loft]] with no heat on the fourth floor of 508 Greenwich Street, on the corner of [[Greenwich Street]] and [[Spring Street (Manhattan)|Spring Street]] in [[Lower Manhattan]]. He lived with various roommates over the years, including Greg Beals, a journalist for ''[[Newsweek]]'' magazine and the brother of actress [[Jennifer Beals]]. For a while, he and his roommates kept an illegal [[wood-burning stove]] because of lack of heat in their building.

From the spring of 1985, when he was 25 years old, until October 21, 1995, when he quit since ''Rent'' was being produced by the [[New York Theatre Workshop]], Larson worked as a waiter at the [[Moondance Diner]] on the weekends and worked on composing and writing musicals during the week. Many people came to the diner to meet Larson. He was involved in writing the employee manual.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://blogs.loc.gov/music/2021/11/waiting-with-jonathan-larson/ | title=Waiting with Jonathan Larson | first=Morgen | last=Stevens-Garmon | work=[[Library of Congress]] | date=November 23, 2021 | access-date=April 2, 2022 | archive-date=May 22, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220522102939/https://blogs.loc.gov/music/2021/11/waiting-with-jonathan-larson/ | url-status=live }}</ref> At the diner, Larson met [[Jesse L. Martin]], who was his waiting trainee and later performed the role of Tom Collins in the original cast of Larson's ''Rent''.

==Awards and nominations==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Year
!Award 
!Category
!Work
!Result
|-
|rowspan=8|1996
|[[Pulitzer Prize]]
|[[Pulitzer Prize for Drama|Drama]]
|rowspan=8|''[[Rent (musical)|Rent]]''
|{{won}}
|-
|rowspan=3|[[Tony Award]]
||[[Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical|Best Book of a Musical]]
|{{won}}
|-
||[[Tony Award for Best Musical|Best Musical]]
|{{won}}
|-
|[[Tony Award for Best Original Score|Best Original Score]]
|{{won}}
|-
|rowspan=3|[[Drama Desk Award]]
|[[Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Book of a Musical|Outstanding Book of a Musical]]
|{{won}}
|-
|[[Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Music|Outstanding Music]]
|{{won}}
|-
|[[Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lyrics|Outstanding Lyrics]]
|{{won}}
|-
|[[New York Drama Critics' Circle]]
|Best Musical
|{{won}}
|-
|rowspan=3|2002
|rowspan=3|[[Drama Desk Award]]
|[[Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Book of a Musical|Outstanding Book of a Musical]]
|rowspan=3|''[[Tick, Tick... Boom!]]''
|{{nom}}
|-
|[[Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Music|Outstanding Music]]
|{{nom}}
|-
|[[Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lyrics|Outstanding Lyrics]]	
|{{nom}}
|}

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

== References ==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==External links==
{{Archival records|title=Jonathan Larson papers, 1978-1996|location= [[Music Division, Library of Congress]]|description_URL=https://hdl.loc.gov/loc.music/eadmus.mu011016}}
*{{IBDB name}}
*{{iobdb name|938}}
*{{IMDb name|1170227}}
{{Jonathan Larson}}
{{Navboxes
| title = Awards for Jonathan Larson
| list1 =
{{DramaDesk Book 1976–2000}}
{{DramaDesk Lyrics 1976–2000}}
{{DramaDesk Music 1976–2000}}
{{PulitzerPrize DramaAuthors 1976-2000}}
{{TonyAward MusicalBook 1976–2000}}
{{TonyAward MusicalScore 1976–2000}}
}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Larson, Jonathan}}
[[Category:Jonathan Larson| ]]
[[Category:1960 births]]
[[Category:1996 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century American composers]]
[[Category:20th-century American dramatists and playwrights]]
[[Category:20th-century American Jews]]
[[Category:20th-century American male writers]]
[[Category:Adelphi University alumni]]
[[Category:American musical theatre composers]]
[[Category:American male musical theatre composers]]
[[Category:American musical theatre lyricists]]
[[Category:American people of Russian-Jewish descent]]
[[Category:Broadway composers and lyricists]]
[[Category:Deaths from aortic dissection]]
[[Category:People with Marfan syndrome]]
[[Category:Jewish American dramatists and playwrights]]
[[Category:Jewish American songwriters]]
[[Category:Musicians from White Plains, New York]]
[[Category:Writers from White Plains, New York]]
[[Category:Pulitzer Prize for Drama winners]]
[[Category:Songwriters from New York (state)]]
[[Category:Tony Award winners]]
[[Category:White Plains High School alumni]]