Legendary US composer and songwriter Stephen Sondheim has died aged 91.

Axar.az reports that his lawyer told the New York Times that Sondheim passed away on Friday at his home in Roxbury, Connecticut.

He was a titan of musical theatre who turned the unlikeliest of subjects into entertainment landmarks.

During his illustrious career, he wrote the scores of some of Broadway's best known shows including Company, Follies and A Little Night Music. Sondheim also wrote the lyrics for West Side Story.

The New-York born composer won eight Grammy awards, nine Tony awards - including the special Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre - and one Academy Award. He also received a Pulitzer Prize.

His ballad Send in the Clowns - from the 1973 musical A Little Night Music - has been recorded hundreds of times, including by Frank Sinatra and Judy Collins.

In 2015, US President Barack Obama bestowed Sondheim the Presidential Medal of Freedom - the highest civilian award - for his work.