Celebrated composer and lyricist William Finn, 73, passed away on Monday, April 7, his rep confirmed to multiple publications. Initially, the representative didn’t disclose a cause of death to any of the outlets.
According to The New York Times (NYT), the theatre icon’s partner, Arthus Salvadore, confirmed that Finn died because of pulmonary fibrosis after suffering from “neurological issues” for years.
The partners were together for more than four decades, since the early 1980s. Not much is known about Arthur Salvadore other than that fact he is a businessman. Per a 1994 story done by the Los Angeles Times on William Finn’s Broadway musical, Falsettos, he had dedicated his previous work, Falsettoland, to Salvadore, his partner of almost 13 years at the time. He also mentioned Arthur in his later work.
According to NYT, Salvadore and Finn lived together at their homes in Williamstown, Massachusetts, and New York City, until the latter passed away.
William Finn dedicated some of his work to Arthur Salvadore
In his 2003 song cycle Elegies, William Finn wrote about the deaths of family and friends while also reflecting upon the 9/11 terrorist attacks. In a song titled Mark's All-Male Thanksgiving, Finn dedicated a portion of lyrics to his partner and described him as the “handsomest guy.” He recounted their first encounter in the song while describing what everyone wore to Mark’s All-Male Thanksgiving,
“Diplomats, poets, opera guys, guys dressed in leather britches / Some paunchy, some starting to bald, some were awful / And some were okay / In a non-threatening way / Mark the lawyer wore flannel, he comes from Wisconsin / The handsomest guy wore a tie // That was Arthur: sweetly decent, funny, and living / I met Arthur when Mark made his all-male Thanksgiving”
In the song, he also mentioned about his 22-year-old relationship with Arthur (in 2003), expressing how he still makes his “heart flutter” whenever he smiles,
“And the excellent movie, that Bill Sherwood filmed / Was his first and his last / Since, alas, the boy passed / Arthur still, when he smiles, he makes my heart flutter / We think it's been twenty-two years”
Apart from dedicating his lyrics and music to Arthur, William also worked with him on his well-received musical, A New Brain. Salvadore portrayed the character named Roger Delli-Bovi. The musical was also known for its inspiration from Finn’s real-life health struggles. In 1992, he was diagnosed with arteriovenous malformation (AVM).
The symptoms arose the same year he bagged two Tony Awards — Best Original Score and Best Book of a Musical — for Falsettos. During his acceptance speech for the Best Original Score, William Finn gave a shoutout to many of his collaborators while also naming his partner:
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“Arthur Salvadore, what more can I say?”
Finn accepted the Best Book of a Musical award with his frequent collaborator and three-time Tony Award winner, James Lapine.
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