Lyricist and composer Sandy Wilson dies aged 90

Composer and lyricist Sandy Wilson, best known for his musical The Boy Friend, has passed away at the age of 90, his agent confirmed today.

Born in Sale, Greater Manchester, Wilson was educated at Harrow School and Oriel College, Oxford. Whilst at Oxford, he wrote revues for the Oxford University Experimental Theatre Club and later attended a production course at the Old Vic Theatre School.

His work for the stage included Valmouth, Divorce Me, Darling!, Call it Love, His Monkey Wife, Buccaneer and revues such as Hermione Gingold's Slings and Arrows, Laurier Lister's Oranges and Lemons, and See You Later, starring Peter Cook.

In 1953 Wilson wrote The Boy Friend for the Players' Theatre, this went on to be his most successful show and transferred to Wyndham's Theatre in 1954 where it ran for five years. The Broadway transfer in the same year introduced Julie Andrews in her Broadway debut. Andrews later went on to direct a revival of The Boy Friend at the Bay Street Theater, New York in 2003.