Cabaret
songwriter John Wallowitch dies at 81

After more than 40 years of involvement in the New York City cabaret scene and composing more than 2,700 songs, John Wallowitch died of bone cancer Thursday. He was 81.

His death at Calvary Hospital in Bronx, N.Y., was confirmed by his sister Anna Mae, The New York Times reports.

Wallowitch's style used word play and social observation. One of his most famous songs, "Bruce," advises a drag queen, "Don't ever wear puce, Bruce," "You have to reduce, Bruce," and "Wear something loose, Bruce."

He and his longtime partner, Bertram Ross, created a cabaret act in 1984. Their breezy autobiographical shows were the subject of the 1999 documentary Wallowitch and Ross: This Moment. Ross died in 2003, but Wallowitch continued to express his artistry. (The Advocate)