Richard M. Sherman, one half of the prolific and award-winning brothers who shaped the childhoods of millions with such instantly memorable songs as “Mary Poppins,” “The Jungle Book,” “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” and the most-played song on the planet, “It’s a Small World,” has died. He was 95.
Sherman, along with his late brother Robert, won two Academy Awards, Best Original Score and Best Original Song for “Chim Chim Cher-ee,” for Walt Disney’s 1964 smash hit “Mary Poppins,” and also won a Grammy Award for Best Motion Picture or Television Score. Robert Sherman died in London in 2012 at the age of 86.
The Walt Disney Co. announced that Sherman died Saturday from age-related illness. In a tribute on its website, the company said, “Generations of moviegoers and theme park guests have been introduced to the Disney world through the Sherman brothers’ majestic, timeless songs. Even today, their work preserves the lyrics that are the quintessential Walt Disney.”
As co-writers and composers, they have worked on hundreds of films, including “Winnie the Pooh,” “Slippers and a Rose,” “Snoopy: Come Home,” “Charlotte’s Web” and “Lassie,” as well as the Broadway musical “Over Here!” in 1974 and the stage adaptations of “Mary Poppins” and “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” in the mid-2000s.
“Something good happens when we sit down and work together,” Richard Sherman told The Associated Press in a joint interview in 2005. “We’ve been doing that our whole lives. We’ve been working together since college.”
Their accolades include 23 gold and platinum albums and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. They were the only Americans to win the Moscow Film Festival top award in 1973 for “Tom Sawyer,” and were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2005.
President George W. Bush awarded them the National Medal of the Arts in 2008, praising their music for “bringing joy to millions.”
Most of the songs the Sherman Brothers write are not only catchy and playful, but also appealing to a wide range of age groups, something they learned from Disney.
“He once said to us, when we were starting out, ‘Don’t insult kids. Don’t write in a condescending way. And don’t just write for adults.’ So we write for grandpas and 4-year-olds and everyone in between, and we all see on a different level,” Richard Sherman said.
The Sherman brothers began a decade-long partnership with Disney in the 1960s after writing hit pop songs such as “Tall Paul” for former Mouseketeer Annette Funicello and “You’re Sixteen,” later recorded by Ringo Starr.
They have written over 150 songs for Disney, including the soundtracks for such films as “Sword and Stone,” “It’s Tough Being Dad,” “Bedclothes and Broomsticks,” “The Jungle Book,” “The Aristocrats” and “The Tigger Movie.”
“It’s a Small World” is thought to be the most played song in the world, sung by animatronic figures representing world cultures to visitors on boat rides at Disney theme parks. It debuted in a pavilion ride at the 1964-65 New York World’s Fair.
Both brothers credit their father, composer Al Sherman, with encouraging them to write songs and fostering their love of words. His songs include “You Gotta Be a Football Hero,” “(What Do We Do on a) Dew Dew Day” and “On the Beach at Bali Bali.” His sons popularized terms like “phantasmagorical” and “supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.”
The Sherman brothers would brainstorm songs together, then improve and try to outdo each other. “Being brothers, we kind of take shortcuts for each other,” Richard Sherman said. “We look at each other and we know, ‘Hey, you’ve got something good.'”
Away from the piano, the two raised families and pursued their own interests, but lived near each other in Beverly Hills and continued to work well into their 70s. When “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” came to Broadway in 2005, they added new lyrics and four new songs.
Richard Sherman is survived by his wife, Elizabeth, and their two children, Gregory and Victoria, as well as his daughter, Linda, from a previous marriage.
A private funeral will be held on Friday, and Disney said details of the memorial will be announced at a later date.
Asked about their largely shunned sibling rivalry despite years of estrangement, Richard Sherman is at once philosophical, moving and tongue-in-cheek, much like the trunk-full of songs he wrote with his brother.
“We are human beings. We have our weaknesses and frailties. But we love and respect each other very much,” he said. “I’m happy that he’s a successful man. That makes me a successful man.”
