George Gershwin: Part 3 of 5 of the September Birthday Bash Donation Blitz

Born: September 26, 1898 in Brooklyn, NY

Died: July 11, 1937 in Los Angeles, CA (age 38)

George Gershwin (born Jacob Gershwine) was the second of four children of Moishe Gershowitz and Roza Bruskina. Gershwin was an American pianist and composer, whose compositions spanned both popular and classical genres. He was one of the most significant and popular American composers of all time. Gershwin was influenced by French composers of the early twentieth century. 

Early in 1937, Gershwin began to complain of blinding headaches. On the night of July 9, 1937, Gershwin collapsed in Harburg’s house, where he had been working on the score of The Goldwyn Follies. He was rushed to Cedars of Lebanon Hospital in Los Angeles and fell into a coma.  No one realized he was suffering from a malignant brain tumor until it was much too late. Doctors at Cedars removed a large brain tumor in the early hours of July 11, 1937, but he died later that day.

Gershwin composed 10 Orchestral works; 2 Solo piano works; 2 Operas: Blue Monday and Porgy and Bess; 18 Broadway musicals; 5 Original film scores; 3 Preludes and George Gershwin’s Song-book for Solo piano arrangements of 18 songs; and 1 London musical, Primrose.

Source: Wikipedia

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