Eric Blau, Poet and Author of 'JACQUES BREL' Dead at 87

The New York Times has reported the sad news that Eric Blau, who created one of Off Broadway's most enduring hits, "Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris," died on Feb. 17th in Manhattan. He was 87 years old, the cause of his passing was pneumonia after a stroke, according to his son Matthew.

The Times reports that Milton Eric Blau was born on June 1, 1921, in Bridgeport, Conn., the son of immigrants from Hungary who lived on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. 

Press notes for his creative masterwork, "Jacques Brel IS ALIVE AND WELL AND LIVING IN PARIS" transforms Brel's astonishing musical compositions into a theatrical experience that has enthralled audiences for nearly four decades. The original show opened in 1968 at The Village Gate in Greenwich Village and ran for more than four years.

With a cast of four actors and three musicians, the show celebrates Brel's timeless relevance and enduring passions. Translated from the French by American poet Eric Blau and lyricist Mort Shuman ("Save The Last Dance For Me"), the show is a diverse blend of ballads, tangos, boleros, rock and classics. With raw human emotion, each piece tells a story, examining themes of love, war, adventure, broken dreams, people from all classes, being young, growing old and death...but never forgetting that life, with all its tragedies and complexities, shows us much humor.

In addition to his wife and his son Matthew, who lives in Brattleboro, Vt., he is survived by two other sons, John, of Forest Hills, N.Y., and Peter, of Brooklyn; four grandchildren; and a great-granddaughter.

To read the entire Times notice on his death visit here.