The British composer and screenwriter Kit Hesketh-Harvey has passed away at the age of 65.
Having enjoyed a long and prosperous career that stretched back to the 1980s, the entertainer and artist worked in theatre, television, music and film throughout his life, most notably contributing to the success of The Vicar of Dibley in 1994. In addition, Hesketh-Harvey also penned the screenplay for the 1987 James Ivory-directed romance Maurice, starring the fresh faces of Hugh Grant and Ben Kingsley.
The death of Hesketh-Harvey has hit his sister, journalist Sarah Sands, particularly hard, with the family currently taking part in an ongoing search for Sands’ former husband, actor Julian Sands who went missing two weeks ago.
Speaking to The Independent about the loss of her brother, Sands stated: “Kit was dazzling – clever, original, funny, kind. The last time I saw him he was busy mapping out pilgrim routes across Norfolk; there was always the next adventure, the next joke. He gave and gave and gave”.
Born in Malawi, Hesketh-Harvey was later educated as a senior chorister at Canterbury Cathedral. Later, he attended Tonbridge School in Kent and Clare College, Cambridge, where he studied English Literature and became a member of the Footlights drama club. Following his work on Maurice in 1987, the composer and screenwriter went on to study under Stephen Sondheim during his professorship at Oxford University.
The English lyricist and author Tim Rice, whose work includes 1973s Jesus Christ Superstar, 1994s Disney hit The Lion King and 1996s Evita, took to Twitter to pay tribute, writing: “Tragic news that Kit Hesketh Harvey has died. Delightful fellow, charming, witty, the lyricist’s lyricist, a cross between Michael Flanders & Stephen Sondheim. And a fine musician. And fun on Barbados beaches or at Savoy lunches. And much more. RIP”.
Tragic news that Kit Hesketh Harvey has died. Delightful fellow, charming, witty, the lyricist’s lyricist, a cross between Michael Flanders & Stephen Sondheim. And a fine musician. And fun on Barbados beaches or at Savoy lunches. And much more. RIP.
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