Adam Epstein, the Tony Award-winning producer who helped bring “Hairspray” to Broadway, has died.
Epstein died Tuesday morning at Adventist Health hospital in Glendale after months of battling a brain tumor, his younger brother, Brett Epstein, confirmed to The Times. He was 49.
“He’s someone who came into this world and lived in 49 years what someone might have lived in 100,” Brett Epstein told The Times in a phone call. “He had this spirit of having been here before and knowing a lot and a delirious, undeniable positivity about everything. I think that was his gift.”
Brett Epstein mourned the loss of his brother on Facebook, writing in a post Thursday: “I can’t imagine a world without him.”
Epstein, a Miami native and alumnus of New York University and Brown University, began working on Broadway in the late 1990s. He produced numerous shows throughout his career but was best known for his work on the Tony-winning adaptation of John Waters' 1988 film “Hairspray.” The musical premiered in Seattle in 2002 and made its Broadway debut that same year. “Hairspray” had a total of 13 nominations at the 2003 Tony Awards and won eight awards, including the coveted musical prize.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, “Hairspray” had more than 2,600 performances by 2009 and also inspired a film adaptation in 2007.
Epstein’s Broadway career also included more musical adaptations of films, including “Cry-Baby” (based on Waters’ 1990 title) and “The Wedding Singer” (based on the Adam Sandler comedy). He also produced “The Life,” “A View From the Bridge” and “Amadeus.” His productions won 12 Tony Awards and 46 nominations, according to Playbill.
After Broadway, Epstein turned his attention to political commentary. In July 2020, he created a YouTube channel, “The Dispatch With Adam Epstein.” A year later, he also launched his podcast “Dirty Moderate,” which was promoted as an attempt to promote “rigorous analysis and lively debate with people from both parties and beyond.”
The final episode of “Dirty Moderate” aired on August 8 and featured former Missouri Secretary of State Jason Kander. In May, Epstein appeared on the podcast of Michael Steele, a former Republican National Committee chairman and MSNBC political analyst.
Brett Epstein told The Times that his brother “was on the cusp of breaking into a whole new career.”
Adam Keith Epstein was born on September 7, 1974. In addition to his brother, Epstein is survived by his parents, a sister, a sister-in-law, three nieces and a nephew. His funeral will be held later this week in his native Florida.
His family is asking for donations to the UCLA Brain Cancer Research Center.
