Richard M. Sherman, who wrote classic Disney songs dead at 95
Richard M. Sherman, one half of the songwriting duo behind countless Disney classics, has died at 95. Their music filled not only movies like “Mary Poppins” and “The Jungle Book” but also Disney theme parks for generations.
He passed away on May 25 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Beverly Hills due to age-related illness, The Walt Disney Company announced. His brother, Robert B. Sherman died in 2012 at the age of 86.
Richard M. Sherman received nine Academy Award nominations, winning two Oscars for “Mary Poppins” (1964), along with three GRAMMY Awards and 24 gold and platinum albums over his 65-year career. His work spanned from early rock n’ roll hits like “You’re Sixteen” to Broadway and Hollywood.
The Sherman Brothers are best known for their Disney work, particularly “Mary Poppins,” where they won two Oscars for Best Score and Best Original Song for “Chim Chim Cher-ee.” “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” became a pop hit, and “Feed the Birds” was a favorite of Walt Disney.
Born on June 12, 1928, in New York City, Sherman followed in the footsteps of his Tin Pan Alley songwriter father, Al Sherman. The family moved to Beverly Hills in 1937. Richard Sherman attended Beverly Hills High School and majored in music at Bard College. He served in the United States Army as a conductor for the band and glee club from 1953 to 1955.
In 1951, Gene Autry recorded the first Sherman brothers song, but their big break came in 1958 when Annette Funicello recorded “Tall Paul,” which sold over 700,000 singles. This success led to their hiring by Walt Disney as staff songwriters.
The Sherman Brothers wrote songs for numerous Disney films including “The Absent-Minded Professor,” “The Parent Trap,” “The Sword in the Stone,” “Mary Poppins,” “The Jungle Book,” and “The Aristocats.” They also created music for Disney theme park attractions like “It’s a Small World” and “There’s a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow.”
In the early 1970s, they left Disney to pursue other projects, writing music for films like “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang,” “Snoopy Come Home,” “Charlotte’s Web,” and “The Slipper and the Rose.” They won 1st Prize at the Moscow Film Festival in 1973 for “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.”
Richard and Robert Sherman were inducted as Disney Legends in 1990 and into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2005. They received the National Medal of the Arts in 2008.
In 2015, Richard Sherman’s life was chronicled in the PBS special “Richard M. Sherman: Songs of a Lifetime.” He contributed new songs for Disney projects up until 2023, including “Mushka’s Lullaby” for the animated short “Mushka.”
In 2023, he appeared in “Once Upon a Studio,” revisiting Walt Disney’s office where he and his brother often performed “Feed the Birds.”
Richard is survived by his wife of 66 years, Elizabeth; son Gregory and grandsons William and Matthew; daughter Victoria Wolf, son-in-law Doug Wolf, and grandchildren Mandy and Anthony. He is also survived by his daughter from a previous marriage, Lynda Rothstein, as well as her two children and three grandchildren. A private funeral is scheduled to take place Friday, May 31, at Hillside Memorial Park and Mortuary in Los Angeles. Plans for a celebration of life will be announced at a later date.
