Tributes have poured in for scenic designer and art director Anna Louizos. A three-time Tony nominee, the 69-year-old died on Tuesday (25 August) in New York.
According to her wife, theatre producer Robyn Goodman, Louizos died of multiple myeloma, following a series of health battles that stemmed from a horseback accident. Goodman confirmed that the accident had occurred during a vacation in Greece last year.
Career highlights and Broadway legacy
Born in California in 1957, Louizos was recognised for her Tony Award-nominated sets on musicals including In the Heights, High Fidelity and The Mystery of Edwin Drood.
Her work was also featured in Broadway productions of School of Rock, Holiday Inn and Cinderella. Away from the theatre, Louizos served as the artistic director on several episodes of Sex and the City in 2003.
Lin-Manuel Miranda leads tributes
Following the news of her passing, tributes have poured in on social media. Penning a heartbreaking tribute, In the Heights creator Lin-Manuel Miranda called Louizos an "unforgettable and brilliant set designer and friend."
"She passed away yesterday, and our hearts are broken," he added. "She built us a set and a home so real that it still reverberates in every production since. She did that again and again over the course of her incredible career."
"She and her wife, Robyn, have a cameo in Tick, Tick…Boom! as Jonathan Larson's neighbours. Because when I heard the lyric 'don't forget the neighbours Michelle and Gay, more like a family than a family, hey,' Robyn and Anna immediately popped into my mind."
"I'm holding Robyn and her family in my heart and prayers today. And I'm looking out my window this morning, on the same block where my wife grew up, still in awe that she got it all on that stage. She built our home. Thank you, Anna. Alabanza. Para siempre."
Fellow stars and productions respond
Replying to Miranda, actor Joshua Henry wrote, "So Heartbroken hearing this. She brought 'Home' to so many." Meanwhile, fellow Broadway star Linedy Genao added, "Wow. I am so sorry. So grateful to have worked with her on a regional show."
The official X account for Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella has also responded, announcing: "We're saddened to hear of the passing of scenic designer Anna Louizos, whose Tony-nominated talents helped bring Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella to life on Broadway in 2013. May her brilliance live on through the unforgettable contributions she made to her craft."
