Richard M. Sherman, Acclaimed Songwriter Behind ‘Mary Poppins,’ Dies at 95
Richard M. Sherman, the two-time Oscar winner who with his brother produced some of the most memorable American songs for children, died Saturday of age-related illness at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Beverly Hills. He was 95 years old.
Sherman, a frequent collaborator with Walt Disney and other creatives in Disney’s inner circle, was a decorated songwriter whose accolades also counted three Grammy Awards and 24 gold and platinum albums over a career spanning six decades. He often worked alongside his older brother, Robert Sherman, who died in 2012.
Together, the Sherman brothers wrote more than 200 songs for more than 50 Disney movies and television shows. They were most known and recognized for their work on Mary Poppins. In 1965, they won the Oscars for Best Original Score and Best Original Song for “Chim Chim Cher-ee.” In 2013, Sherman was portrayed by actor Jason Schwartzman in the movie Saving Mr. Banks, which dramatized the making of Mary Poppins.