Jonathan Larson was an American playwright/composer most commonly known for creating Rent, one of the most influential Broadway musicals ever written. Another of his works, Tick, Tick…Boom!, has also been staged and revived multiple times Off-Broadway and made into a movie on Netflix.

Born in lower-state New York, Larson had a true passion for the arts and was influenced by artists such as Elton John, The Doors and The Beatles.

Before Larson was able to see his dream come true with the first preview of Rent Off-Broadway, he died unexpectedly of an aortic aneurysm on the early morning of January 25, 1996. He won three Tony Awards and a Pulitzer Prize posthumously.