Pulitzer Prize-winning composer and famous diarist Ned Rorem has been announced dead, find out about his brief bio, cause of death, net worth, age diary collection, and music career
Ned Rorem who authored more than a dozen published diaries and composed several music pieces passed away at the age of 99.
Ned Rorem Cause Of Death, Obituary, Age, Family, Wife, Songs List And Net Worth
The Leonard Bernstein Family and Office are saddened by the death of Pulizer Prize-winning composer and Leonard Bernstein's dear friend, Ned Rorem.
After meeting in 1943. Bernstein and Rorem became lifelong friends, and Bernstein frequently championed Rorem's orchestral works. pic.twitter.com/NoNjYoD7Uy
— Leonard Bernstein (@LennyBernstein) November 19, 2022
According to reports, Ned Rorem was announced dead on November 18, 2022, Friday in his Manhattan home.
Ned Rorem Cause Of Death
Rorem reportedly passed away on Friday in his home, which is located on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Ned Rorem’s niece Mary Marshall confirmed the sad news about his death. However, she did not reveal the cause behind the death of the famous American composer and diarist.
Ned Rorem Brief Bio
Ned Rorem was born on October 23, 1923, in Richmond, Indiana, United States. For those who are unaware, Ned Rorem was a famous composer known for his enticing music and also for publishing several revealing diaries detailing stories from his own personal life.
Rorem was the second child of Clarence Rufus Rorem and his wife, Gladys W. Miller. He had an older sister named Rosemary. During his early years, Ned and his family shifted to Chicago, as Rufus worked for the American Hospital Association.
Ned was always interested in music right from his childhood days. He attended the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools and the American Conservatory of Music. Following which, attended Northwestern University and then the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia.
He also attended the famous Juilliard School in New York City. Ned Rorem’s parents brought him up as a Quaker. Quakers were people who belonged to a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations. They were formally known as the Religious Society of Friends.
Ned Rorem And His Diary Collection
Ned Rorem published his first diary in the year 1966, which was titled ‘The Paris Diary of Ned Rorem’. He soon followed up with ‘Later Diaries 1951–1972’ (1974) and ‘The Nantucket Diary of Ned Rorem, 1973–1985’ (1987).
The now deceased writer cum composer openly talked about his own as well as other men’s sexuality in his diaries. He famously revealed on all of his relationships with Leonard Bernstein, Noël Coward, Samuel Barber, Virgil Thomson, and many others. Rorem also revealed about his short affair with writer John Cheever in one of his diaries.
Music Career
Rorem career as a music composer saw great success when he was in his 20s. And by the time he turned 40, he had already written well over 400 songs. Besides that, Rorem also penned three symphonies and several one-act operas. Rorem notably won a Pulitzer Prize for Music, back in 1976, for his Air Music: Ten Etudes for Orchestra. His net worth stood at $2 million.