Herbert Kretzmer, the lyricist behind the English-language adaptation of Les Misérables, has died aged 95.
Paying tribute on social media, Tim Rice described Kretzmer as “a great lyricist and man of theatre and popular song … a giant of his trade”.
Born in South Africa, Kretzmer moved to London in the 1950s and forged a twin career as a journalist and lyricist, believing both to adhere to similar structural rules.
Until the coronavirus pandemic, Les Misérables had been running in London since 1985 – the longest run for a musical in the West End and the second longest in the world.