Gerald Schoenfeld, the head of the Shubert Organization which is Broadway's largest landlord died at his Manhattan home early this morning. He was 84. He had attended the opening of the Baz Luhrmann film "Australia" hours before, said his granddaughter Julia Schatz.

The Shubert Organization owns or operates 17 (the Ambassador, Barrymore, Belasco, Booth, Broadhurst, Broadway, Winter Garden, Cort, Golden, Imperial, Jacobs, Longacre, Lyceum, Majestic, Schoenfeld and Shubert) out of the 39 Broadway theaters. Sam Rudy, a spokesman for the organization, said Schoenfeld died suddenly and didn’t immediately disclose a cause of death.
Mr. Schoenfeld has served as Chairman of The Shubert Organization since 1972. The Shubert Organization has been an essential factor in the production of distinguished theatrical attractions throughout the years, such as “Passion,” “The Heidi Chronicles,” “Amy's View,” “Passing Strange,” and the current revival of “Equus.”
 
The Organization is also actively engaged in supporting the Board of Education of the City of New York in the reintroduction of art and culture K through 12 in the city's public schools. Mr. Schoenfeld served as Chairman of the Mayor's Midtown Citizens Committee.

"I can’t imagine not seeing him at every opening night sitting on the aisle,” actress Bernadette Peters told Broadway.com. “He was a great friend and supporter of the Broadway community. There will be a large void and I will miss him.”

He is survived by his wife of 58 years, Pat Schoenfeld, his daughter Carrie, his brother Irving, and two grandchildren. Funeral arrangements will be private with a memorial service to be held at a later date. Schoenfeld was born in 1924 and worked as a lawyer for the famed theater group before taking over the reins from the Shubert family in 1950, according to the theater magazine Playbill.

Four years ago, a Broadway theater was named after him on 45th Street. Designed by architect Herbert J. Krapp to resemble the neighboring Shubert and Booth theaters designed by Henry B. Herts, the building was constructed by the Shubert brothers in 1917-1918, christened the Plymouth Theatre, and leased to producer Arthur Hopkins. He intended it to be a venue for legitimate plays starring notable actors like John and Lionel Barrymore. The premiere production was “A Successful Calamity,” a comedy with William Gillette and Estelle Winwood.

His death comes only one week after the passing of theater critic Clive Barnes, another powerful person of the old theater guard.
Back in 1972 he and another lawyer, Bernard B. Jacobs, assumed control of the tottering Shubert Empire, taking over at a time when Broadway was in decline and more than a few Shubert houses sat empty. Schoenfeld used to pick the plays with Jacobs, who died in 1996. "Our judgments and taste were the same," he said. "The rule between us was if he liked it and I hated it (or vice versa) we would not pursue it."