Tharon Musser, Legendary Lighting Designer, Dead at 84

Legendary lighting designer Tharon Musser has passed away at the age of 84.

"After a long illness, Tharon passed away comfortably in the company of her long-time partner Marilyn Rennagel," reported Steve Terry to LIVE DESIGN. Terry worked with Musser on the Tony Award-winning production of A Chorus Line in 1975. "For those of us that knew Tharon, this is not unexpected news, but still very, very hard to hear". To read the article on her passing click here.

Tharon Musser was universally considered the "Dean of American Lighting Designers". She graduated from Berea College in 1946 and attended Yale University before moving to New York City to begin her career. Her first Broadway lighting work was Jose Quintero's staging of Eugene O'Neill's Long Days Journey into Night (1956) at the original Helen Hayes Theatre. 

Among the countless musicals she designed were two of the longest running Broadway shows ever, Michael Bennett's A Chorus Line (1975 to 1990), which was the first production to introduce a computer controled lighting system, and Gower Champion's 42nd Street (1980 to 1988). Her other storied credits include Neil Simon's autobiographical trilogy: Brighton Beach Memoirs (1983), Beloxi Blues (1985), and Broadway Bound (1987). She also lent her talents to the Jose Limon Dance Company, the American Ballet Theatre, and the Dallas and Miami Opera Companies.

In 1972, Musser won her first Tony Award for Michael Bennett's Follies which was followed by Tony's for Michael Bennett's A Chorus Line and his Dreamgirls in 1982. In the mid-1990s she was diagnosed with "early-onset Alzheimer's" which made it more difficult for her to focus on the project at hand. Her last "new" Broadway credit was The Lonsome West which opened at the Lyceum Theatre in April 1999. She was honored as a USITT Distinguished Lighting Designer in 1996.

In 2006, her Tony award winning design for A Chorus Line was re-created by Natasha Katz for the "30th" anniversary revival at the Schoenfeld Theatre. 

For a complete list of her credits visit the BWW Theatre Database by clicking here.