The US musician and his brother Robert created the songs for the hit musical as well as The Jungle Book and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. The Walt Disney company said on Saturday that he had died due to age-related illness. Robert died in London aged 86 in 2012.
The brothers wrote more than 150 songs at Disney, including the soundtracks for such films as The Sword And The Stone, The Parent Trap, Bedknobs And Broomsticks, The Aristocrats and The Tigger Movie. In a statement, Mary Poppins theatre producer Sir Cameron Anthony Mackintosh said: “The great Richard Sherman wrote instantly infectious, joyous songs to lift the heart. His iconic score for Mary Poppins, written with his brother Bob, will be enchanting audiences around the world forever more.
“He was also one of the great gentlemen of showbusiness, always charming, supportive and kind. We will all miss you, Dick – you are truly supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.” The song Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious was created by the Sherman brothers and sung by Julie Andrews, who played Poppins, and Dick Van Dyke as the chimney sweep Bert.
George Stiles, who composed additional music for the stage version of Mary Poppins, wrote on Instagram that Sherman “gave the world a songbook of joy, laughter, love and hope”. He added that the veteran composer did not “resent” him and his collaborator, lyricist Anthony Drewe, and they “became great friends”. “I shall miss this brilliant, beautiful human,” he said.
“Love.
