Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Ben Platt pay tribute to musical composer William Finn
Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Ben Platt have led tributes to late Broadway composer William Finn.
On Tuesday, a representative announced that the Tony Award winner had died at the age of 73 the previous day.
Finn's longtime partner, Arthur Salvadore, told The New York Times that the cause of death was pulmonary fibrosis, a type of lung disease.
Following the sad news, Ferguson took to Instagram to thank Finn for giving the world "infinite joy" with his productions, especially the 1992 musical Falsettos. The Modern Family actor also worked with the Boston native on his 2005 musical comedy, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.
"The first Broadway show I ever saw was William Finn's Falsettos," he wrote alongside a throwback photo. "I left that theater changed forever because of his work. It will always be one of the biggest honors of my career that I got to create with this brilliant artist. There will never ever, ever be another Bill Finn. Rest in peace my friend. I am so happy I knew you."
In addition, Platt posted a black-and-white photo of Finn on his Instagram Stories and commented, "Gave us so many beautiful things."
Director and playwright James Lapine, who worked with Finn on Falsettos, honoured his frequent collaborator too.
"RIP - Bill Finn. Thank you for all you gave me and us. Your work lives on," he declared.
Elsewhere, a spokesperson for the Tony Awards posted a clip of Finn receiving the prize for Best Original Score for Falsettos at the 1992 event. He also took home Best Book of a Musical that year.
"His music sang of love, loss, and what it means to be fully alive," they added.
Back in 1992, Finn suffered an arteriovenous malformation in his brain stem and underwent surgery. The experience inspired his 1998 musical, A New Brain.
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