Andre Previn, former music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and a force whose influence spread far beyond the classical world, died Thursday after a short illness at his home in New York City, his manager Linda Petrikova said. He was 89.
Previn, a conductor, composer and pianist who toggled between classical, pop and jazz, won four Academy Awards. But his biggest legacy will be his leadership of symphonies across the globe in a long and illustrious career as a conductor.
Here Previn took over as music director of the L.A. Phil from Carlo Maria Giulini in 1985 and departed in 1989. He was principal conductor of the London Symphony and the Royal Philharmonic orchestras, and he also led the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and the Houston Symphony.
The Recording Academy honored Previn with its Lifetime Achievement Award, a 2010 Special Merit Award, alongside with Leonard Cohen, Michael Jackson, Loretta Lynn and Bobby Darin, among others. Previn also received a Kennedy Center Honor in 1998.
Previn entered the world of film at age 16. MGM hired him to arrange music for film scores, and he went on to write and arrange music for film, winning Oscars for music on "My Fair Lady," "Gigi," "Irma la Douce" and "Porgy and Bess."
In 1961 Previn made Oscars history by earning three Academy Award nominations for the scores for "Bells Are Ringing" and "Elmer Gantry" as well as the "Pepe" song "Faraway Part of Town."
He also earned 10 Grammy Awards during his career.
