Beloved Senior Vice President of Music Theatre International, Richard Salfas, Passes Away

Music Theatre International has released the sad news that Richard Salfas, the Senior Vice President, International Licensing & Concert Promotions at Music Theatre International, has passed away. Salfas died unexpectedly on September 15, 2016 at the age of 57.

The letter below was shared with BroadwayWorld from the President of MTI, Drew Cohen:

Dear MTI friends and colleagues,

It is with great sadness that we inform you of the untimely death of Richard Salfas. Richard passed away suddenly at his home last night.

As so many people know, Richard was the Sr. Vice President, International Licensing & Concert Promotions at Music Theatre International. More than that, he was our dear friend and colleague at MTI for nearly 30 years, devoting himself to the promotion of Musical Theatre around the world and championing the rights of the authors whom he represented and truly loved. In addition to his tireless work with theatre producers in over 60 countries, Richard worked closely with symphonies and philharmonics, encouraging their musical theatre-based programming. And, as Richard would say, "Don't forget about my dinner theatres," all of which were an important part of his responsibilities at MTI. He always put his authors and his customers first.

Many people have responded to this shocking news in the same way: "But he just emailed me!" which is not surprising given Richard's legendary responsiveness.

It is impossible to convey the feeling of loss that we are experiencing here at MTI. Richard's passion for his work and for the people he represented was inspirational. His smile was contagious and his sense of humor and timing were exceptional. We will miss him dearly.

-Drew Cohen

According to the Riverside Memorial Chapel website, a funeral service will be held tomorrow, September 18th, at 10:00 at Riverside Memorial Chapel, with a burial service at Sharon Gardens Cemetery to follow. Complete details may be found here.

Donations in Richard's name may be made to The Center, 208 West 13th, St. NYC, NY 10011 www.gaycenter.org Service 10am today at "The Riverside" 76 Street and Amsterdam Avenue.