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Michael Tilson Thomas, Legendary Conductor and Composer, Dies at 81
Michael Tilson Thomas, a renowned conductor, composer and pianist, multiple winner of Gramophone Awards and a music director of the San Francisco Symphony for 25 years, has passed away at the age of 81.
The statement on his Instagram mentioned that he died on Wednesday, April 22, which was five years after he was diagnosed with glioblastoma multiforme, a very aggressive type of brain cancer.
“Despite his illness, he continued to make music, which is a testament to his legacy as both an artist and a communicator,” the statement after that said.
“He was preceded in death by his husband Joshua Robison and died at home surrounded by his loved ones and family.
Joshua and Michael are survived by their sisters, nieces and nephews.”
Robison, who Thomas married in 2014 after almost 40 years of being together, died in February.
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Michael Tilson Thomas, 12-Time Grammy-Winning Conductor, Dies at 81
Michael Tilson Thomas, the iconic conductor, composer, and pianist who revolutionized the San Francisco Symphony during his 25 years as the music director, has died at the age of 81. He passed away at his residence on Wednesday, April 22, after a five-year struggle with glioblastoma multiforme, a highly aggressive form of brain cancer.
This loss comes not long after the demise of his husband of 10 years and long-time partner of nearly 40 years, Joshua Robison, who died in February.
Thomas, a 12-time Grammy Award winner and one of the recipients of the National Medal of Arts, was first noticed by the world in 1969. At the tender age of 24, he unexpectedly took over midway through a performance to conduct the Boston Symphony Orchestra after their conductor William Steinberg became ill. This defining moment marked the beginning of a remarkable career during which he led the London Symphony Orchestra and co-founded the New World Symphony, an orchestral academy located in Miami Beach that has trained more than 1,300 musicians.
Highly praised for his “boundless creativity,” Thomas was passionate about his art even in the final stages of his life and through his illness. The New World Symphony in a statement honoring him called him a “creative risk-taker” who through his courageous musical experiments offered the art form a distinctive sense of closeness and urgency. Besides the couple, he also leaves behind his sisters, as well as his nieces and nephews.
Michael Tilson Thomas, 12-Time Grammy-Winning Conductor, Passes Away at 81
Michael Tilson Thomas, the distinguished conductor, composer, and pianist who served as the music director of the San Francisco Symphony for 25 years, has died at the age of 81, following a long battle with brain cancer.
In 2020 when he stepped down from his position as music director, this maestro was still named Music Director Laureate – a position that allowed him to continue associating himself with the orchestra. According to The New York Times, the last concert he conducted took place in April 2025.
Originating from Los Angeles, he came from a family deeply rooted in the arts. His grandparents, Boris and Bessie Thomashefsky, were pioneers in the Yiddish theater as actors, and his father, Ted Thomas, was a producer with the renowned Mercury Theater in New York.
He pursued piano, conducting, and composition at the University of Southern California. What really shaped his personal life in a significant way was the encounter with his future husband, Joshua Robison, during their middle school orchestra in 1958 which initiated their relationship that lasted a lifetime.
Michael Tilson Thomas, An Inspired Maestro and 12-Time Grammy Awardee, Passed Away at 81
Michael Tilson Thomas, a conductor, composer, and pianist of great renown who led the San Francisco Symphony to new heights during his 25-years as music director, has died at age 81. He passed away at his residence on Wednesday, April 22, after a five-year fight with glioblastoma multiforme, a very aggressive brain cancer.
Born in Los Angeles and a 12-time Grammy winner, Thomas was a third-generation artist whose grandparents were among the pioneers of Yiddish theater. His great adventures in music started in 1969 when, at the age of 24, he replaced a sick conductor of the Boston Symphony on the spot. After that, he led the London Symphony Orchestra and was co-founder of the New World Symphony in Miami Beach, where he personally trained more than 1, 300 musicians. When he left his position at the SF Symphony in 2020, he became the Music Director Laureate and his last concert was in April 2025.
His work and his life were strongly connected. It all started when Thomas and his life partner, Joshua Robison, first came across each other in the middle school orchestra in 1958. Back then, Thomas was playing oboe and piano, and he confessed later that he had a “secret crush” on Robison who was a cellist after watching him at sports events. After that, they met each other again and started dating in 1976. They got married in 2014. Robison died only a few months ago, in February.
Even when seriously ill, Thomas kept on doing the things he was passionate about and lived up to the piece of advice he gave once to the graduates at The Juilliard School: “To be an artist means to have the courage for rebirth and growth. It’s never ending.”