Andrew Lloyd Webber announces son Nicholas has died aged 43

Andrew Lloyd Webber has announced son and composer Nicholas has died, aged 43, following a battle with gastric cancer.

In 2009, Grammy-nominated Nicholas Lloyd Webber collaborated with James D Reid on a musical adaptation of the classic novel The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, and in 2017 worked on Kay Mellor’s Fat Friends: The Musical.

The Little Prince premiered at the Lyric Theatre in Belfast, Northern Ireland, while a project to record a cast album for the musical was launched in 2020.

Fat Friends embarked on a major tour in 2018, with a cast including Freddie Flintoff and Jodie Prenger. A 2022 tour was planned but did not go ahead.

Nicholas Lloyd Webber has also produced and arranged albums for various artists, including his father, and has worked as a music supervisor on several TV shows and films. He also co-produced and mixed the Cinderella album (penned by his father with David Zippel) for Polydor Records for the stage show’s premiere in 2021.

Andrew Lloyd Webber posted the following statement on social media, saying: “I am shattered to have to announce that my beloved elder son Nick died a few hours ago in Basingstoke Hospital. His whole family is gathered together and we are all totally bereft.”

Last week, Lloyd Webber missed the opening night of Broadway musical Bad Cinderella in order to be with his son and family, saying: “As my friends and family know, he has been fighting gastric cancer for the last 18 months and Nick is now hospitalised.

“I therefore have not been able to attend the recent previews of Bad Cinderella and as things stand, I will not be able to cheer on its wonderful cast, crew and orchestra on opening night this Thursday.”

Michael Ball posted a tribute to Nick Lloyd Webber, saying: “Heartbroken to hear the news of Nick Lloyd Webber passing tonight. A beautiful, kind, funny and talented young man and my love and prayers go out to his mum and dad, his wife and all his family. A genuine tragedy that should make us all stop and think and count our blessings.”