COMPOSER MARVIN HAMLISCH DEAD AT 68

Composer Marvin Hamlisch, who had a hand — a deft one — in every form of show business and won top awards in all of them, has died in Los Angeles at age 68. A family spokesman declined to provide details, saying only that he had died after a brief illness. In 1974 Hamlisch took home three Oscars in one night for his music for The Sting and The Way We Were (score, song, and adaptation). He was nominated 12 times for his scores and/or songs for movies. But his office was also decorated with Grammy, Emmy, and Tony awards. He wrote the music and lyrics for A Chorus Line, which in 1990 became the longest-running musical in Broadway history (it has since been superseded by Phantom of the Opera), which brought him not only a Tony award but also the Pulizer Prize. More recently he composed the music for the stage version of The Nutty Professor, which opened in Nashville last week to rave reviews.