The man behind some of the well-loved movie musicals, Steve Fickinger, passed away at 62 years old recently.
The Tony award-winning producer helped bring Disney movies into the Broadway stage as an executive of the massive media group.
Per his niece, Steve Fickingier died suddenly in his home in Laguna Beach.
Nothing much was known about his death, but it is expected that the real cause of his passing will be revealed in the coming weeks.
Fickinger's career behind the curtain was nothing but illustrious. He started working for The Mouse until he became the Director of Creative Development for Walt Disney Feature Animation. He is responsible for overseeing the production of "Mulan," "Tarzan," and "Lilo and Stitch" on the silver screen.
As a top Disney exec, he then served as Vice President of Creative Development for Disney Theatrical Group - supervising the translation of six Broadway shows from idea to their opening night.
This includes the Tony-winning show "The Lion King" and "Aida." Steve Fickinger was also hands-on on the production of "Newsies," the national tour of "High School Musical," and "Alladin."
Disney Theatrical's Education and Outreach efforts would also not be possible without Fickinger's supervision. He has helped pave the way to reach Disney Musicals in schools through providing material resources and teaching artists free of charge to schools under-served in the arts.
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However, Fickinger left Disney in 2013 and became an independent theatrical producer - launching his very own FickStern Productions. The newly-launched company was the reason behind the success of the critically-acclaimed "Dear Evan Hansen," which Fickinger personally produced.
"Dear Evan Hansen" reaped six Tony Awards, two Drama League Awards, a GRAMMY, a Critics' Circle, and three Laurence Olivier. Fickinger was one of the people onstage at the Tony Awards along with Ben Platt and Rachel Bay Jones when they received the award for Best Musical in 2017.
Fickinger leaves his life still with a lot of work on his plate. He is currently developing a project with Deniece Williams and Seret Scott - "Live at the Crescendo Club: An Evening with Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan and Pearl Bailey."
He is currently the executive producer of "Rock of Agfes" at The Bourbon Room in Hollywood.
Steve Fickinger is survived by his siblings, Jan, Joan, Michael, and Emily, while a funeral for him will be held in Chicago and a memorial service in Los Angeles. (via The Hollywood Reporter)
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