British playwright Tom Stoppard, Oscar winner for Shakespeare In Love, dies at 88. Tributes pour in for the Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead writer
LONDON: Oscar-winning British playwright Tom Stoppard has died at the age of 88.
United Agents announced the news on Saturday, stating Stoppard died peacefully at home in Dorset surrounded by his family.
The talent agency described him as beloved and remembered for his brilliant works, humanity, wit, and profound love of the English language.
Stoppard first achieved fame with his absurdist tragicomedy Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, which reimagined two minor characters from Shakespeare’s Hamlet.
He developed a distinctive style that combined serious intellectual ideas with comedy throughout his six-decade career.
Rock legend Mick Jagger led tributes, calling Stoppard his favourite playwright and praising his majestic body of intellectual and amusing work.
London’s West End theatres will dim their lights for two minutes on Tuesday evening in his memory.
Stoppard’s accolades included an Oscar for Shakespeare In Love, three Olivier Awards, and five Tony Awards.
Britain’s National Theatre paid tribute to his sharp intellect and inventive narrative structures that blended highbrow humour with philosophical enquiry.
His publisher Faber Books honoured him as one of the most brilliant playwrights of the last 60 years and one of the great intellects of our time.
Born in Czechoslovakia in 1937, Stoppard fled Nazi occupation and found refuge in Britain where he began his career as a journalist before turning to playwriting.
Beyond theatre, his film work included contributions to the Indiana Jones and Star Wars franchises.
Stoppard was knighted in 1997 for his services to literature and was married three times, fathering four sons including actor Ed Stoppard. – AFP
