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Tony-winning playwright Terrence McNally dies at 81 from coronavirus complications

Tony-winning playwright Terrence McNally dies at 81 from coronavirus complications
Posted at 3:23 PM, Mar 24, 2020
and last updated 2020-03-24 16:23:30-04

NEW YORK (AP) — One of America’s great playwrights who won Tony Awards for the plays "Love! Valour! Compassion!" and "Master Class" as well as the musicals "Ragtime" and "Kiss of the Spider Woman," has died.

Terrence McNally died Tuesday of complications from the coronavirus. He was 81.

McNally’s plays and musicals explored how people connect — or fail to. With wit and thoughtfulness, he tackled the strains in families, war, and relationships and probed the spark and costs of creativity.

He was an openly gay writer who wrote about homophobia, love and AIDS.

He won four Tonys and an Emmy. New York University also gave him an honorary doctorate in 2019.