Today in Disney History: Howard Ashman Passes Away in New York

Howard Ashman passed away on this day in 1991, in New  York City, New York, from complications due to AIDS. He was 40 years old. He was born on May 17, 1950, in Baltimore, Maryland. After graduating from Indiana University, he moved to New York and worked as an editor and began writing plays.

In 1986, Ashman joined Walt Disney Feature Animation to work on music for the animated feature film "Oliver & Company" (1988.) For "The Little Mermaid" (1989), Ashman along with Alan Menken wrote all the songs for the film. They received Academy Award nominations for Best Original Song for "Kiss the Girl" and "Under the Sea," winning for the latter. He was the Executive Producer on "Beauty and the Beast" (1991) along with writing songs, winning the Academy Award posthumously for Best Original Song for "Beauty and the Beast." "Beauty and the Beast" was released after Ashman's death and was dedicated in his honor. Prior to his death he also wrote songs for the upcoming feature film "Aladdin" (1992) including "Arabian Nights," "Friend Like Me," and "Prince Ali."

Ashman was posthumously named a Disney Legend in 2001, in the Music category. In 2020, Disney + released a documentary on Howard Ashman, directed by Don Hahn titled “Howard.”