Thomas Meehan, Tony-Winning Writer of 'Annie,' Dies At 88

MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, NY — Thomas Meehan, a Broadway legend who wrote classic musicals such as "Annie," "The Producers" and "Hairspray," died Tuesday at the age of 88, according to multiple reports.

The news of Meehan's death was first reported by Playbill and confirmed by lyricist Martin Charnin, who collaborated with Meehan on "Annie." The 1977 musical — an adaptation of the "Little Orphan Annie" comics — was Meehan's Broadway debut and earned him the first of three Tony Awards. Charnin did not tell Playbill how Meehan died.

Meehan's two other Tony Awards came for writing "The Producers" with Mel Brooks and "Hairspray" with Mark O’Donnell. (For more news about your NYC neighborhood, subscribe to Patch to get a daily newsletter and breaking news alerts.)

Meehan was born August 14, 1929, and got his start writing for The New Yorker's "Talk of the Town" section, Playbill reported. It was his writing for the magazine that caught the eye of Charnin.

"I knew him from his work at the New Yorker," Charnin told Playbill. "He was a frequent contributor, and I was a subscriber. I read his pieces over the course of the years, and I actually optioned a piece of his called ‘Annie, The Women in the Life of a Man’ as a 1970 TV project for Anne Bancroft. It was the first television show I ever did, and Tom was a collaborator on that. We’ve had a lot of success with that name."

Tributes for Meehan poured in from the Broadway world Tuesday:

"RIP to Thomas Meehan, one of the best around," Tony winner Lin Manuel-Miranda wrote on Twitter.

"Master librettist Thomas Meehan (left) won Tonys for writing Hairspray, The Producers, and Annie. He will be missed. Rest in peace," the Tony Awards said on Twitter.

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