The world lost the music legend Jonathan Larson on the morning of 25 January 1996, but still, his work is alive even today. Larson is known for two of his notable works – ‘Rent’ and ‘Tick Tick…Boom’. The talented actor and musician struggled very hard to establish his name in the music industry, but sadly his work was recognized only after his demise.
Born on February 4, 1960, Jonathan Larson grew up in White Plains exposed to music and performing arts from a young age. In an interview with his father Allan Larson, he revealed that “I was changing his diaper, so he had to be pretty young, and he started singing ‘Yellow Bird.’ In tune.” Larson spent most of this youth in drama clubs, music lessons, and starring in a high school musical production. His works explored the issues of substance abuse, homophobia, and multiculturalism.
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How Did Jonathan Larson Die?
Just a day before his first Off-Broadway performance of his written musical Rent, Jonathan Larson died in this apartment. The 35-year-old musician was found dead on the kitchen floor by his roommates on the morning of 25 January 1996. Just the night before his death, Larson attended the final dress rehearsal of his musical ‘Rent‘, getting all in place for the big day. Just several days before his death he complained about chest pains, breathlessness, and dizziness.
An autopsy confirmed that Jonathan Larson died from an aortic aneurysm. An aortic aneurysm basically means a tear inside the aorta which was believed to be longer than a foot- extended from his heart up to his abdomen. An investigation by the New York State Health Department found that the doctors failed to diagnose him with Marfan’s Syndrome. Ironically treatable syndrome but misdiagnoses and confusing it with food poisoning and a virus is what killed the American legend.
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Jonathan Larson Legacy
Jonathan Larson received three posthumous Tony Awards and a Pulitzer Prize for Drama for his musical ‘Rent’. With the release of Rent, Larson changed the landscape of Musical theater forever. It is the Eleventh longest-running show in the history of Broadway. While his friends and family still mourned for Larson, ‘Rent’ became an instant success. The musical show continued to sell out at the New York theater Workshop and eventually made its way to Broadway, where it became a phenomenal piece of work.
After Jonathan Larson’s demise, playwright David Auburn rewrote the semi-autobiographical ‘tick tick…Boom’ transformed it into a three-part show from a one-man show. It premiered Off-Broadway in 2001, to honor Larson’s work on a larger scale. In 2014, the Off-Broadway revival of ‘tick..tick…Boom’ started many Tony-winning actors like Leslie Odom Jr and Karen Olivo. The 2021 version of the musical starred Andrew Garfield as Jonathan Larson. Garfield also won the Golden Globe Award for his uncanny portrayal of Larson.
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