MCC Theater frontman Bob LuPone dies at 76

Bob LuPone, executive of off-Broadway company MCC Theater and brother of actress Patti LuPone, died Saturday after a three-year battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 76 years old.

LuPone's death was confirmed by MCC Theater in a statement released Saturday to The Associated Press .

"The MCC Theater community mourns the loss of our much loved and uniquely inspiring partner, colleague and friend , Bob LuPone, who lived fearlessly and with great curiosity, good humor, an unbounded passion for connection, and a lot of heart. He will be deeply and always missed," the theater company said in a statement.

Alongside his student Bernie Telsey, LuPone formed the MCC Theater under the original name Manhattan Class Company in 1986. The couple, along with Will Cantler, ran MCC for four decades, producing shows that found their way to Broadway like “Frozen,” “Reasons to Be Pretty,” “Hand to God,” “School Girls; or the African Mean Girls Play” and “Wit”.

LuPone also worked as an actor, beginning in 1966 as an ensemble member of the Westbury Music Fair production of "The Pajama Game" with Liza Minnelli. In 1968, he made his Broadway debut in Noel Coward's "Sweet Potato". LuPone went on to earn a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actor for his performance as Zach in "A Chorus Line."

Along with his theatrical career, LuPone has also made guest appearances in "The Sopranos", "Sex and the City," "Guiding Light," and "All My Children," for which he was nominated for a Daytime Emmy.

LuPone was Director of the MFA Theater Program at the New School for Drama from 2005 to 2011, as well as the Chairman of the Board of A.R.T./New York.

LuPone is survived by his wife, Virginia; his son, Orlando; his sister, Patti; and his brother William.

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