Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber’s son Nicholas dies aged 43

Confirmation of Nicholas’ death

Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber has confirmed that his eldest son Nicholas has died aged 43, following a battle with gastric cancer.

The 75-year-old Oscar-winning composer shared the news on Twitter on Saturday, writing: ‘I am shattered to have to announce that my beloved elder son Nick died a few hours ago in Basingstoke Hospital.

‘His whole family is gathered together and we are all totally bereft. – ALW’

Nicholas’ battle with cancer

It comes after Lord Lloyd-Webber recently revealed that Nicholas, who was also a composer, had been moved to a hospice where he was ‘battling’ gastric cancer.

Tragically, Lord Lloyd-Webber explained in a video that Nick was ‘over the worst of it’ regarding this first bout and shared his hopes for his son’s recovery.

Outpouring of support

There has been an outpouring of support for the composer since he revealed that his son had passed away on Twitter earlier this evening.

Stars from the world of musical theatre, politicians, celebrities and close family friends paid tribute to Nicholas as the sad news emerged.

Nicholas’ own career

Nicholas followed in his father’s footsteps and was a successful composer in his own right, having written Fat Friends The Musical.

He was married to musician Polly Wiltshire, who appeared on the soundtrack of his father’s 2019 movie Cats.

During his career, Nicholas also scored music for an adaption of The Little Prince as well as composing numerous TV and film scores, including for the BBC1 drama Loves, Lies, and Records.

Nicholas previously spoke about making his own way in the theatre world away from his famous family name in a 2011 unearthed interview.

At the time, he said he was ‘very nervous,’ and aware that there’d be some ‘attention’ on him.

‘But I’d just like to think that the show will be judged on its own merits,’ he said. ‘That’s all anyone can ask for.’

‘Then I thought, “Hang on, if other people are prepared to work with me without the surname, then maybe I should just get on with it.”‘

Stomach cancer warning signs

It is not very common in the UK, but symptoms can be hard to spot. Between 2017 and 2019 there were around 4,200 stomach cancer deaths in the UK every year, or 12 every day according to Cancer Research UK.

Here, MailOnline reveals the six warning signs to look out for.

Lord Lloyd-Webber’s recent post

The tragic news today follows a video posted to Lord Lloyd-Webber’s Instagram account on Thursday, in which the composer said his son was ‘over the worst of this first bout of pneumonia’ which he caught as a result of his ‘ghastly’ cancer.

Lord Lloyd-Webber – who wrote the music for hit shows such as Cats, The Phantom Of The Opera and Jesus Christ Superstar – said in a video on Instagram: ‘We’re all here and the family here has gathered around and it was the right place for us all to be I think.’

In the video he also thanked the people of Ukraine who sent him a Cats T-shirt following the announcement that his son was ‘critically ill’.

He said: ‘I know that they’ve been performing Cats there in a bunker, a makeshift production.

‘It’s incredibly moving… everything they’re going through they have been so incredibly thoughtful about dearest Nick.

‘I’m going to go and see Nick in a minute, and I’m going to pass on all of the fantastic wishes that I’ve had for him all the way from everywhere all around the world.’

Lord Lloyd-Webber also sent his best wishes ‘to the other families I have around the world in theatre’ on the opening night of his new show Bad Cinderella in New York.

He said: ‘I’m absolutely gutted not to be able to be there but my place is really here in England at the moment.’

The Broadway show is a retooled version of London West End’s Cinderella, which takes its name from a key song in the show and has new songs, leading lady and title.

Lord Lloyd-Webber’s family

Lord Lloyd-Webber’s first wife, Sarah Hugill, is the mother of Nicholas. They also share a daughter, Imogen, who is 44.

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Credit: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11902463/Andrew-Lloyd-Webber-shattered-confirms-eldest-son-Nicholas-died-aged-43.html

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