American playwright Neil Simon died Sunday at the age of 91.
Simon was known for his successful hits such as “The Odd Couple,” ″Barefoot in the Park” and his “Brighton Beach” trilogy. He was regarded as American theater’s most successful and prolific playwright in the second half of the 20th century. In his lifetime, Simon was the recipient of four Tony Awards, the Pulitzer Prize, the Kennedy Center honors, and had a Broadway theater named after him in 1983.
Simon passed away early Sunday of complications from pneumonia at New York Presbyterian Hospital in Manhattan.
With files from the Associated Press
Guests:
John Lahr, former senior drama critic for the New Yorker from 1992 to 2013
Pete Hammond, awards columnist and writer for Deadline, the film and TV news site; his latest piece looks at film adapted from Neil Simon’s plays