Richard Sherman, who brought joy to generations with Disney songs, dies aged 95

Richard M Sherman, half of the prolific songwriting Sherman Brothers who wrote songs for Mary Poppins, The Jungle Book and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, has died aged 95.

Along with his late brother Robert, Sherman won two Academy Awards for Best Song and Best Score, for their work on Walt Disney’s box-office 1964 hit Mary Poppins.

The Walt Disney Co. announced that Sherman died on Saturday 25 May due to age-related illness.

“Generations of moviegoers and theme park guests have been introduced to the world of Disney through the Sherman brothers’ magnificent and timeless songs,” the company’s statement said.

“Even today, the duo’s work remains the quintessential lyrical voice of Walt Disney,” the company said in a remembrance posted on its website.

Sherman’s brother Robert died aged 86 in London, in 2012.

Born in New York City on 12 June 1928 to Russian Jewish immigrants Al and Rosa Sherman, he and his family eventually settled in Beverley Hills, California, in 1937.

He became engrossed by music from a young age, learning to play instruments including the piano, flute and piccolo.

He was classmates with fellow future Academy Award-winner Andre Previn, who would go on to win for his score to My Fair Lady, and performed with him at their high school graduation in 1946.

Their joint credits as lyricist and composer span hundreds of songs featured in some of Disney’s most popular ventures, from Winne the Pooh and The Magic of Lassie to the most-played tune on Earth, “It’s a Small World (After All)”.

The song that accompanies visotirs to Disney theme parks around the world, on a boat ride where guests are serenaded by animatronic dolls representing global cultures, is believed to be the most-performed composition of all time.

It debuted at the 1964-65 New York World’s Fair pavilion ride.

The Sherman brothers also wrote the soundtracks for films The Parent Trap, The Sword in the Stone, The Jungle Book, The Aristocats, and The Tigger Movie.

They were portrayed in the 2013 film Saving Mr Banks starring Tom Hanks, which told the story behind the making of Mary Poppins, with Jason Schwartzman and BJ Novak as the two brothers.

Among their many accolades were 23 gold and platinum albums, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. They were inducted into the Songwriters’ Hall of Fame in 2005, while President George W Bush awarded them the National Medal of Arts three years later, commending them for the music that “has helped bring joy to millions”.

“Something good happens when we sit down together and work,” he told The Associated Press in a 2005 joint interview. “We’ve been doing it all our lives. Practically since college we’ve been working together.”

He revealed that Walt Disney once told the brothers, early on in their career, not to “insult” or “write down” to their child audience.

“So we write for grandpa and the four-year-old, and everyone in between, and all see it on a different level”.

The brothers credited their father, composer Al Sherman, with inspiring their love of songwriting, as they went on to popularise terms such as “fantasmagorical” and “supercalifragilisticexpialidocious”.

“Being brothers, we sort of short-cut each other,” Richard Sherman said of their approach of trying to one-up the other. “We can almost look at each other and know, ‘Hey, you’re onto something, kiddo.’”

Sherman is survived by his wife, Elizabeth, and their two children Gregory and Victoria. He is survived by another daughter, Lynda, from his previous marriage.

Disney said that a private funeral would be held on Friday (31 May) while a celebration of life service would be announced at a later date.

Additional reporting by Associated Press