Adam Epstein dead: Tony-winning 'Hairspray' producer was 49

Adam Epstein, Tony-winning producer, dies at 49. Brother says he packed in 100 years of living

Adam Epstein in a blue suit with a pink tie smiling against a gray backdrop.

Aug. 15, 2024 4:37 PM PT

Adam Epstein, a Tony Award-winning producer who helped bring “Hairspray” to Broadway, has died.

Epstein died Tuesday morning at Adventist Health hospital in Glendale after months of battling a brain tumor, his younger brother, Brett Epstein, confirmed to The Times. He was 49.

“He’s somebody who came through this world and lived within 49 years what somebody may have lived in 100,” Brett Epstein told The Times in a phone call. “He just had that spirit of being here before and knowing a lot and an incontestable, delusional positivity about everything. I just think that was his gift.”

Brett Epstein mourned the loss of his brother on Facebook, writing in a Thursday post, “I cannot imagine a world where I am living in it without him.”

Epstein, a Miami native and alum of New York University and Brown University, began working on Broadway in the late ’90s. He produced numerous shows throughout his career but was best known for his work on the Tony-winning adaptation of John Waters’ 1988 film, “Hairspray.” The musical opened in Seattle in 2002 and made its Broadway debut later that year. “Hairspray” had a total of 13 nominations for the 2003 Tony Awards and earned eight prizes — including the coveted musical prize.

“Hairspray” ran for more than 2,600 performances through 2009, according to the Hollywood Reporter, and also inspired a 2007 film adaptation.

Epstein’s Broadway career also included more musical adaptations of films, including “Cry-Baby” (based on Waters’ 1990 title) and “The Wedding Singer” (based on the Adam Sandler comedy). He also produced “The Life,” “A View From the Bridge” and “Amadeus.” His productions earned 12 Tony Awards and 46 nominations, according to Playbill.

After Broadway, Epstein shifted his attention to political commentary. He created a YouTube channel, “The Dispatch With Adam Epstein,” in July 2020. A year later, he also launched his “Dirty Moderate” podcast, which was billed as seeking to promote “rigorous analysis and lively debate with individuals on both sides of the aisle and beyond.”

The latest “Dirty Moderate” episode went live Aug. 8 and featured former Missouri Secretary of State Jason Kander. In May, Epstein appeared on the podcast of Michael Steele, former Republican National Committee chairman and MSNBC political analyst.

Brett Epstein told The Times his brother “was just about to break through in a whole new career.”

Adam Keith Epstein was born Sept. 7, 1974. In addition to his brother, Epstein is survived by his parents, a sister, a sister-in-law and three nieces and a nephew. A funeral service will be held later this week in his native Florida.

His family requests donations to the UCLA Brain Cancer Research Center.