'Hello, Dolly!' composer Jerry Herman dead at 88

Dec. 27 (UPI) -- Jerry Herman, a Broadway composer and songwriter who penned the score to hit musical Hello, Dolly!, has died at the age of 88.

Herman's publicist Harlan Boll said the songwriter was taken to a Miami hospital Thursday after complaining of chest pain. He then later died of pulmonary complications.

The composer first found stage success in 1961 with Milk and Honey. Herman then worked on Hello, Dolly!, his most famous musical which opened in 1964 and starred Carol Channing.

Hello, Dolly! earned multiple Tony awards including Best Musical. Herman's title song for Hello, Dolly! is one of the most recognized Broadway numbers of all time.

Herman's other big Broadway hits include Mame starring Angela Lansbury and La Cage Aux Folles starring George Hearn and Gene Barry.

Other musicals and Broadway projects Herman worked on include Parade, Dear World, Mack and Mabel, The Grand Tour, A Day in Hollywood/A Night in the Ukraine, Jerry's Girls and An Evening with Jerry Herman.

He also produced several Celebrate Broadway albums and worked on the scores for television musical Mrs. Santa Claus and the film Barney's Great Adventure.

Herman has won multiple Tonys including a lifetime achievement award in 2009, two Grammys including Song of the Year for "Hello, Dolly!" in 1964 and he was a Kennedy Center Honoree in 2010.

Herman is survived by his long time partner Terry Marler and goddaughters Jane Dorian and Sarah Haspel.