Mick Jagger has lead the tributes to the legendary playwright and screenwriter Tom Stoppard, who has died at the age of 88.
The news was confirmed by United Agents today (November 29), who said he died “peacefully” at his Dorset home surrounded by family. “He will be remembered for his works, for their brilliance and humanity, and for his wit, his irreverence, his generosity of spirit and his profound love of the English language,” a statement read.
Over a long career, Stoppard won five Tony Awards for his work in theater, with his most celebrated plays including Rosencrantz And Guildenstern Are Dead, Jumpers, arcadia and The Real Thing.
He also worked regularly in cinema, writing the first draft of the screenplay for Steven Spielberg’s Empire Of The Sun and the final re-write of Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade. He also contributed to Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge Of The Sith was nominated for an Oscar for co-writing Terry Gilliam’s Brazil and won Best Original Screenplay for Shakespeare In Love.
Jagger shared a tribute on X, writing: “Tom Stoppard was my favorite playwright. He leaves us with a majestic body of intellectual and amusing work. I will always miss him.”
Check out other tributes here:
Seán Ono Lennon posted: “Tom Stoppard R.I.P. An absolute genius.”
Michael McKean wrote: “Stoppard was the greatest. RIP”
Renowned Playwright Tom Stoppard Dies at 88
West End theatres will dim their lights for two minutes at 7pm on Tuesday, December 2, 2025, in remembrance of the acclaimed playwright Tom Stoppard, who has died at the age of 88. The news was announced by Nick de Semlyen on Twitter https://twitter.com/NickdeSemlyen/status/1994829662669636071 and confirmed by the Olivier Awards https://twitter.com/OlivierAwards/status/1994834501483037072.
Born Tomáš Sträussler in Czechoslovakia on July 3, 1937, Stoppard’s early life was marked by displacement.His Jewish family fled the Nazis,first relocating to Singapore and then India,where he attended boarding school. After World War II, the family settled in the United Kingdom.
Stoppard began his career as a theatre critic before turning to playwriting. His first completed play, A Walk on the Water, premiered in Hamburg in 1963. He achieved widespread recognition in 1966 with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, a critically acclaimed reimagining of shakespeare’s Hamlet from the perspective of two minor characters, initially showcased at the Edinburgh Festival.
Throughout a distinguished career spanning six decades, Stoppard garnered numerous accolades, including three Laurence Olivier Awards and five Tony Awards.He is also known for plays such as Jumpers, Travesties, The Real Thing, Arcadia, and the Coast of Utopia.
Stoppard’s unique writing style, characterized by wit, linguistic brilliance, and philosophical depth, has become so distinctive that the adjective “Stoppardian” has been officially added to the English dictionary to describe it.