Andrew Lloyd Webber’s son Nicholas Webber has died of gastric cancer at the age of 43.
“Andrew loved and admired Nick’s talent as a composer and producer,” a rep for the legendary composer exclusively tells Page Six on Saturday.
“And, most recently, Nick was instrumental in pulling off the production of the London cast recording of ‘Bad Cinderella’ — during the pandemic.”
The spokesperson continued, “They were close throughout Nick’s life and according to Andrew, Nick kept his signature good humor up to the end and was eager to hear progress reports of ‘Bad Cinderella’ every time Andrew returned from New York during rehearsals.”
Andrew himself first broke the news of his son’s passing via Twitter earlier on Saturday, writing, “I am shattered to have to announce that my beloved elder son Nick died a few hours ago in Basingstoke Hospital.”
“His whole family is gathered together and we are all totally bereft. -ALW.”
The award-winning composer, 75, first revealed his son’s condition earlier this month, saying in a statement, “I am absolutely devastated to say that my eldest son Nick is critically ill.”
He added, “As my friends and family know, he has been fighting gastric cancer for the last 18 months and Nick is now hospitalized.”
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Andrew also noted at the time that he would be missing the opening night of his new Broadway musical, “Bad Cinderella,” in New York City. The show recently transferred from London’s West End.
“I therefore have not been able to attend the recent previews of ‘Bad Cinderella’ and as things stand,” he previously explained. “I will not be able to cheer on its wonderful cast, crew and orchestra on Opening Night this Thursday.
“We are all praying that Nick will turn the corner. He is bravely fighting with his indomitable humor, but at the moment my place is with him and the family.”
Days later, Andrew gave an update, sharing that his son, who was also a music composer, had been moved to hospice care as he continued to fight his “ghastly” stomach cancer and pneumonia.
“I want to thank you for the outpouring of messages of support for my son, Nick. He’s now been moved into a hospice and he’s battling away,” the EGOT winner said in an Instagram video.
“I think he’s over the worst of this first bout of pneumonia that he’s got as a result of his cancer, which is just ghastly,” he continued. “We’re all here and the family here has gathered around, and it was the right place for us all to be I think.”
Andrew shared Nicholas with ex-wife Sarah Hugill, to whom he was married from 1971 to 1983.
Nicholas was a Grammy-nominated composer and record producer, who had worked on the BBC One series “Love, Lies and Records,” an adaptation of author Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s classic book “The Little Prince.”
He also scored director Gillies McKinnon’s 2021 feature film “The Last Bus,” starring Timothy Spall and Phyllis Logan.
Nicholas discussed the perils of carving his own path as a composer with the Telegraph in 2011.
“For a long time, I dropped the Lloyd bit — to see what the reaction would be,” he previously told the British newspaper.
“I got some stuff on the radio, so I thought, ‘Okay, I’m obviously not a complete idiot.’ Then I thought, ‘Hang on, if other people are prepared to work with me without the surname, then maybe I should just get on with it.’ “
Nicholas is survived by his wife, viola player Polly Wiltshire, whom he married in 2018.
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