New York ( CNN ) -- Broadway 's bright glow will dim for a moment on Wednesday in memory of the late Marvin Hamlisch , a prolific American composer who died this week after a more than four-decade long career that spanned film , music , television and theater . Manhattan 's 40 Broadway theaters are expected to turn down their lights at 8 p.m . ET for a total of 60 seconds in symbolic tribute to the man who composed acclaimed scores for the Pulitzer Prize-winning `` A Chorus Line , '' as well as `` They 're Playing Our Song '' and `` The Goodbye Girl . '' His musical ensembles and `` old-fashioned '' style made him a favorite with Hollywood elites , theater-goers and dignitaries , and earned him three Oscars , four Grammys , four Emmys , a Tony and three Golden Globe awards -- one of only 11 people ever to do so , according to The Broadway League , a trade group for the industry . On the silver screen , Hamlisch composed more than 40 scores for films like `` The Way We Were '' and `` The Sting . '' `` His legacy leaves us with a treasury of songs and stories that will always be familiar to theater-goers as they stir up meaningful and heartfelt emotions , '' said Charlotte St. Martin , League Executive Director . He died Monday at the age of 68 . `` Music is truly an international language , '' Hamlisch said on his official website . `` And I hope to contribute by widening communication as much as I can . '' Share your memories of Marvin Hamlisch . Social media was abuzz Tuesday with reflections of the legendary composer and his legacy . `` The evenings we spent with you and the Pittsburgh Pops are memories that will last forever , '' Jean Elliot Boyer wrote on his official Facebook page . `` Your banter with the audience and your down-to-earth style will stay with me forever . '' `` The world will miss your gift , '' wrote Gail Dwyer . Lauded as a child prodigy , Hamlisch was the youngest student ever accepted into Manhattan 's prestigious Juilliard School of Music at the age of 7 . Later in life , he held principal pops conductor positions at various American orchestras , including the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and the Pasadena , San Diego and Seattle Symphonies . His passing drew comments Tuesday from a galaxy of Hollywood stars and others who sought to pay him tribute . `` I will miss his talent , our laughter ( and ) friendship , but mostly I will miss Marvin , '' said actress and singer Liza Minnelli . `` My heart is with his wife Terre always . '' Nancy Reagan said she had been shocked to learn of his death , calling Hamlisch `` a dear friend '' whom she and her late husband , President Ronald Reagan , were drawn to by way of his `` old fashioned '' charm . `` I 'll never forget that he wrote a special song for Ronnie 's surprise 77th birthday party in 1988 . My heart goes out to Terre at this difficult time , '' said the former first lady . `` I 'm devastated , '' said singer Barbra Streisand . `` He was my dear friend . He 's been in my life ever since the first day I met him in 1963 , when he was my rehearsal pianist for 'Funny Girl . ' `` `` He was a true musical genius , '' she said . `` But above all that , he was a beautiful human being . I will truly miss him . '' Hamlisch ' a trouper to the end ' Hamlisch was a musical director and arranger of Streisand 's 1994 concert tour and television special , and had recently worked on a musical adaption of the production of `` The Nutty Professor , '' a musical comedy directed by Jerry Lewis . Obituaries 2012 : The lives they 've lived . CNN 's Rachel Wells contributed to this report .
NEW : Broadway 's lights will dim on Wednesday at 8 p.m. in tribute to Hamlisch . On Broadway , he wrote music for the Pulitzer Prize-winning show ` ` A Chorus Line '' Hamlisch died Monday in his home in Los Angeles , his agent said . The New York Times reports that a memorial service is scheduled for Thursday evening at St. Patrick's Cathedral in Manhattan and then plans are underway for an outdoor ceremony with hundreds of people expected to attend.