Dick Latessa, 'Hairspray' star and Tony award winner dead at 87

NEW YORK, Dec. 20 (UPI) -- Broadway veteran Dick Latessa, best known for his role as Wilbur Turnblad in the original stage production of Hairspray has died at the age of 87.

The actor's passing was confirmed by Marc Shaiman who wrote the music and co-wrote the lyrics for Hairspray on Facebook Monday.

"Hairspray (and Broadway) has lost a huge piece of its heart. RIP to the glorious, loving and much loved Dick Latessa," Shaiman wrote alongside a photo of himself with Latessa. "This was a man who defined Pro, with the timing of a Swiss watch and a voice, a smile and sweet soul that made you feel special just to know him. We were lucky to have him in our lives, he was, truly, timeless."

The cause of death has yet to be revealed.

Latessa notably won a Tony Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Musical for his work on Hairspray in 2003. He was 74 at the time.

His costar Harvey Fierstein who portrayed Edna in the play, also paid tribute to Latessa on Twitter writing, "We lost the 1 & only Dick Latessa & my heart is broken. Still, for 1,000 performances I had the best partner ever," alongside a video clip of the pair performing together on stage.

Latessa had starred in a number of Broadway shows throughout his career including The Education of H*Y*M*A*N K*A*P*L*A*N, Follies, Rags, The Cherry Orchard, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Cabaret, The Will Rogers Follies and his last play The Lyons in 2012.

He also appeared in television series such as The Sopranos and Law & Order.