Johnathan Larson
Jonathan Larson (February 4, 1960 - January 25, 1996) lived in New York for most of his life. He came form a Jewish household, and from a very young age was exposed to the arts, paricularly music and theater. His influences from his youth include various rock artist such as Phil Collins and Billy Joel. Later on in his life, Stephen Sondheim would grow to be his biggest inspiration.
His works include Rent (his most popular), Tic-Tic-BOOM! and other various musical pieces.