Walt Disney Company Releases Statement on Death of Robert Sherman

Disney songwriter Robert B. Sherman died yesterday, March 5, in London. The Academy and Grammy Award winner, who is honoured along with his brother Richard Sherman with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, was 86.

Robert A. Iger, President and CEO, The Walt Disney Company released the following statement on his passing:

“Today, on behalf of everyone at Disney, we mourn the loss of an extraordinary talent, Robert Sherman,” said Disney President and CEO Bob Iger. “One of the world’s greatest songwriters and a true Disney legend, his legacy will endure forever through the magic of his music. From Mary Poppins and It’s a Small World to Winnie the Pooh and The Jungle Book, Robert, along with his brother Richard, wrote many of Disney’s most memorable and beloved songs, which continue to enchant millions of people around the world to this day.”

Robert B. Sherman was born in the late 1920’s in New York City. Following the musical career of his father, Al Sherman, the family moved to Beverly Hills, California, in 1937. A graduate of Beverly Hills High School and Bard College in New York, Robert and his brother, Richard collaborated on many projects. The brothers’ first musical collaboration took place in 1950, and during that decade they wrote hit rock songs including Kitty Wells’ “Things I Might Have Been,” Johnny Burnette’s “You’re Sixteen,” and ex-Mouseketeer Annett Funicello’s “Tall Paul.” The latter garnered the attention of Walt Disney, who invited both Robert and Richard to be the exclusive staff writers for the Disney studios.

During the next decade they composed over 150 songs that were featured in 27 films and two dozen television productions. Theme songs like “The Wonderful World Of Color,” “The Tiki Tiki Tiki Room,” “Winnie The Pooh,” “A Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow,” and “It’s A Small World” are recognized as Disney standards, along with “A Spoonful of Sugar,” “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious,” and “Feed The Birds” (Walt Disney’s personal favorite.)

In 1965, The Sherman Brothers won Oscars® for their MARY POPPINS score and the song “Chim-Chim-Cher-ee.” Other Disney film scores include THE PARENT TRAP (1961, which included Hayley Mills’ chart-topping “Let’s Get Together”), SUMMER MAGIC (1963), THE JUNGLE BOOK (1966), THE HAPPIEST MILLIONAIRE (1967), THE ARISTOCATS (1970), BEDKNOBS AND BROOMSTICKS (1971), THE MANY ADVENTURES OF WINNIE THE POOH (1977) and THE TIGGER MOVIE (2003).

Additionally, they have composed witty and melodious song scores for such films as SNOOPY COME HOME, CHARLOTTE’S WEB and CHITTY BANG BANG, which has recently been adapted to the stage. They also wrote scores for the stage musicals VICTORY CANTEEN (1971), 1974’s Broadway hit OVER HERE! (starring the Andrews Sisters) and BUSKER ALLEY (1995). The Sherman Brothers wrote screenplays and song scores for Tom Sawyer (their music won first prize at the Moscow film Festival), HUCKLEBERRY FINN, THE SLIPPER AND THE ROSE (Royal Film Performance of 1976) and THE MAGIC OF LASSIE, from which “When You’re Loved” earned an Academy Award® nomination for Best Song.

To date, The Sherman Brothers have earned 2 Academy Awards®, 9 Academy Award® nominations, 2 GRAMMY® Awards, 4 GRAMMY® nominations, 23 gold and platinum albums, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 1990, the brothers were named “Disney Legends” by The Walt Disney Company, an honor they prize. Their autobiographical coffee-table scrapbook WALT’S TIME: FROM BEFORE TO BEYOND was published in 1999.

MARY POPPINS produced by Cameron Mackintosh and Disney Theatrical Productions, became a hit stage musical in 2004.