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NEW YORK (AP) — Tony award-winning Broadway composer Mitch Leigh has died.
Leigh's assistant, Lisa Maldonado, says the writer of the music for the celebrated hit "Man of La Mancha" died Sunday in New York of pneumonia and complications from a stroke. He was 86.
She says a memorial is being held Monday afternoon in Manhattan.
Leigh was a successful advertising jingle writer when he penned the music for "Man of La Mancha." The show became an instant hit and earned him a Tony Award.
"Man of La Mancha" won five Tony Awards, ran for over 2,000 performances and was translated into a dozen languages.
The show's most popular song also enjoyed success. "The Quest," popularly known as "The Impossible Dream," hit No. 1 on the Billboard charts in 1966.
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