Three-time Tony Award-winner Charles Strouse, Broadway's industrious, master melody-maker who composed the music for such classic musical theater hits as "Annie," "Bye Bye Birdie" and "Applause," died Thursday. He was 96.Related video above: Remembering those we lost in 2025Strouse died at his home in New York City, his family said through the publicity agency The Press Room.In a career that spanned more than 50 years, Strouse wrote more than a dozen Broadway musicals, as well as film scores and "Those Were the Days," the theme song for the sitcom "All in the Family."Strouse turned out such popular 맥스카지노� and catchy 맥스카지노� show tunes as "Tomorrow," the optimistic anthem from "Annie," and the equally cheerful "Put on a Happy Face" from "Bye Bye Birdie," his first Broadway success."I work every day. Activity 맥스카지노� it's a life force," the New York-born composer told The Associated Press during an interview on the eve of his 80th birthday in 2008. "When you enjoy doing what you're doing, which I do very much, I have something to get up for."Deep into his 90s, he visited tours of his shows and met casts. Jenn Thompson, who appeared in the first 맥스카지노�Annie맥스카지노� as Pepper and directed a touring version in 2024, recalls Strouse coming to auditions and shedding a tear when a young girl sang 맥스카지노�Tomorrow.맥스카지노�맥스카지노�He was tearing up and he put his hand on mine,맥스카지노� she recalled. 맥스카지노�And he leaned in to me and very quietly said, 맥스카지노�That was you. That used to be you.맥스카지노� And I thought I would die. I thought my heart would drop out of my shoes.맥스카지노�She added: 맥스카지노�He맥스카지노�s so gorgeously generous and kind. He has always been that way.맥스카지노�맥스카지노�By Bye Birdie맥스카지노� lifts him upHis Broadway career began in 1960 with 맥스카지노�Bye Bye Birdie,맥스카지노� which Strouse wrote with lyricist Lee Adams and librettist Michael Stewart. 맥스카지노�Birdie,맥스카지노� which starred Dick Van Dyke and Chita Rivera, told the tale of an Elvis Presley-like crooner named Conrad Birdie being drafted into the Army and its effect on one small Ohio town.Strouse not only wrote the music, but he played piano at auditions while Edward Padula, the show맥스카지노�s neophyte producer, tried to attract financial backers for a production that would cost $185,000.맥스카지노�We never stopped giving auditions 맥스카지노� and people never gave money at all. The idea of using rock 맥스카지노�n맥스카지노� roll 맥스카지노� everybody was so turned off,맥스카지노� Strouse said.Finally, Padula found Texas oilman L. Slade Brown. When he heard the score, he said, in a Texas twang, 맥스카지노�I like those songs,맥스카지노� pushed Strouse aside and picked out the tune of 맥스카지노�Put on a Happy Face맥스카지노� on the piano.Brown then said, 맥스카지노�How much do you fellas need?맥스카지노� and wrote out a check for $75,000 to cover the start of rehearsals. 맥스카지노�Suddenly, the world turned Technicolor,맥스카지노� Strouse remembered.The popularity of 맥스카지노�Birdie맥스카지노� spawned a film (with Van Dyke, Janet Leigh and Ann-Margret) in 1963 and a television adaptation with Jason Alexander and Vanessa Williams in 1995.He helped others shineStrouse and Adams gave several non-musical theater stars, including Sammy Davis Jr. and Lauren Bacall, stage successes.For 맥스카지노�Golden Boy맥스카지노� (1964), based on the Clifford Odets play, Strouse and Adams had to get Davis' OK for everything. 맥스카지노�His agents would not let him sign the contract until he approved every word and note that Lee and I wrote,맥스카지노� the composer told the AP. 맥스카지노�Which meant that we had to, at great expense to the producer, follow Sammy all over the world. ... We spent three years of our lives, a week or so each month, out in Las Vegas, playing songs for him.맥스카지노�맥스카지노�Applause맥스카지노� (1970) was adapted from the Mary Orr short story that became the cinema classic 맥스카지노�All About Eve.맥스카지노� It was Bacall맥스카지노�s musical-theater debut, and the actress won a Tony for her performance, as did Strouse and Adams for their score.But it was 맥스카지노�Annie맥스카지노� (1977) that proved to be Strouse맥스카지노�s most durable 맥스카지노� and long-running 맥스카지노� Broadway hit (over 2,300 performances). Chronicling the Depression-era adventures of the celebrated comic strip character Little Orphan Annie, the musical featured lyrics by Martin Charnin and a book by Thomas Meehan.It starred Andrea McArdle as the red-haired moppet and Dorothy Loudon, who won a Tony for her riotous portrayal of mean Miss Hannigan, who ran the orphanage. The musical contained gems such as 맥스카지노�You맥스카지노�re Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile맥스카지노� and 맥스카지노�It맥스카지노�s the Hard Knock Life.맥스카지노�The 1982 film version, which featured Carol Burnett in Loudon맥스카지노�s role, was not nearly as popular or well-received. A stage sequel called 맥스카지노�Annie Warbucks맥스카지노� ran off-Broadway in 1993. The show was revived on Broadway in 2012 and made into a film starring Quvenzhané Wallis in 2014. NBC put a version on network TV in 2021 called 맥스카지노�Annie Live!맥스카지노�Jay-Z was a fanStrouse and Charnin, who both won Grammy Awards for the 맥스카지노�Annie맥스카지노� cast album, found shards of their work included in Jay-Z맥스카지노�s 1998 Grammy-winning album 맥스카지노�Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life.맥스카지노�맥스카지노�Tomorrow맥스카지노� has been heard on soundtracks from 맥스카지노�Shrek 2맥스카지노� to 맥스카지노�Dave맥스카지노� to 맥스카지노�You맥스카지노�ve Got Mail.맥스카지노� In 2016, Lukas Graham used parts of the chorus from 맥스카지노�Annie맥스카지노� for his 맥스카지노�Mama Said맥스카지노� hit.Strouse had his share of flops, too, including two shows 맥스카지노� 맥스카지노�A Broadway Musical맥스카지노� (1978) and 맥스카지노�Dance a Little Closer,맥스카지노� a 1983 musical written with Alan Jay Lerner, that closed after one performance. Among his other less-than-successful musicals were 맥스카지노�All-American맥스카지노� (1962), starring Ray Bolger, 맥스카지노�It맥스카지노�s a Bird... It맥스카지노�s a Plane... It맥스카지노�s Superman맥스카지노� (1966), directed by Harold Prince, and 맥스카지노�Bring Back Birdie맥스카지노� (1981), a sequel to 맥스카지노�Bye Bye Birdie.맥스카지노�Yet even his flops contained impressive music, particularly 맥스카지노�Rags맥스카지노� (1986), with lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, and 맥스카지노�I and Albert맥스카지노� (1972), a musical about Queen Victoria that had a three-month run in London and was one of Strouse맥스카지노�s personal favorites. 맥스카지노�All-American맥스카지노� also had a memorable ballad, 맥스카지노�Once Upon a Time.맥스카지노�Among Strouse맥스카지노�s film scores were the music for 맥스카지노�Bonnie and Clyde맥스카지노� (1967) and 맥스카지노�The Night They Raided Minsky맥스카지노�s맥스카지노� (1968).One of Strouse last musicals was 맥스카지노�Minsky맥스카지노�s.맥스카지노� A love story set against the backdrop of the fabled burlesque empire, it was the brainchild of English director Mike Ockrent, who died of leukemia in 1999 before the project was completed. By then, Strouse and lyricist Susan Birkenhead had written some dozen songs.맥스카지노�Minsky맥스카지노�s맥스카지노� languished until Birkenhead ran into director-choreographer Casey Nicholaw, who asked Bob Martin, star and one of the authors of 맥스카지노�The Drowsy Chaperone,맥스카지노� to write a new book. It opened in Los Angeles in 2009 but never made it to Broadway.How he got his startStrouse always wanted to be a composer and studied very seriously 맥스카지노� first in the late 1940s at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York, with composer Aaron Copland at the Tanglewood Music Center in Massachusetts and with composer, conductor and music professor Nadia Boulanger in Paris.Theater beckoned when he and Adams got a chance in the early 1950s to write songs for weekly revues at an Adirondacks summer camp called Green Mansions. Such camps were the training ground for dozens of performers and writers.맥스카지노�I would write a song and I would orchestrate it and copy the parts,맥스카지노� he said in the AP interview. 맥스카지노�And rehearsal was the next day at nine, so at four in the morning, I am crossing the lake with the parts still wet. I just loved it. I never was happier.맥스카지노�His wife, Barbara, died in 2023. He is survived by four children, Ben, Nick, Victoria and William.