Steve Fickinger, a Disney executive who worked on the Broadway versions of “Newsies” and “The Lion King,” has gone away. Fickinger received a Tony Award for producing the successful musical “Dear Evan Hansen” and went on to work on “Newsies” and “The Lion King.” He was 62.
It was reported that Fickinger abruptly died away at his home in Laguna Beach on Friday, and according to his niece Jessica Roy, his passing was unexpected.
While Fickinger was acting as the director of creative development for Walt Disney Feature Animation, he was involved in the production of Mulan, Tarzan, and Lilo & Stitch. Later, he became the vice president of creative development for the Disney Theatrical Group. In this role, he supervised the launch of a dozen shows on Broadway, including Aida and The Lion King.
In addition to this, Fickinger managed the production of Newsies, which went on to win a Tony Award, the national tour of High School Musical, and the continued success of Aladdin on Broadway.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, he departed Disney in 2013 to start his production firm, FickStern Productions, after working there for twenty years. Dear Evan Hansen, the first production ever staged by the company, had its debut on Broadway in 2016 and went on to win six Tony Awards, including the award for best musical.
In 1960, Steven Thomas Fickinger became the youngest of five children born in the city of Chicago. Before going on to study at UCLA, Rahm Emanuel, who would later become the mayor of Chicago, and I had the opportunity to play on stage at New Trier High School West.
After graduating from college, he pursued a career as an actor on the stage in New York City for several years before relocating to the West Coast and obtaining a position at Disney.
According to Fickinger’s niece, Deniece Williams was responsible for the writing and producing of the album “Live at the Crescendo Club: An Evening With Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, and Pearl Bailey,” which was directed by Seret Scott.
He participated in philanthropic activities such as the AIDS Walk, the Race to Eradicate MS, and the Los Angeles Food Mission.
