Tap dance icon Maurice Hines dies aged 80-Emily Bashforth-Entertainment – Metro

Tap dance extraordinaire Maurice Hines has died aged 80 (Picture: Getty)

Tap dance superstar Maurice Hines has died aged 80.

The Broadway icon – who was the older brother of dancer Gregory Hines – died on Friday (December 29) of natural causes, it has been confirmed.

His representative and cousin, Richard Nurse, announced that he died at the Actors Fund Home in Englewood, New Jersey.

Nurse confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that Hines had lived there for a couple of years.

Paying tribute following the sad news, X user Quaishaun Colbert wrote: ‘Him and his brother Gregory. Tap masters. They both inspired a generation of young tappers like Savion Glover of course. Reunited at last.’

‘The world of entertainment has lost another great light’, penned Rayceen Pendarvis.

The Broadway icon died of natural causes, his reps confirmed (Picture: Vivien Killilea/Getty Images)

Hines began working in the industry when he was just five years old.

He made his Broadway debut in The Girl in the Pink Tights in 1954, proceeding to star in shows such as Eubie!, Sophisticated Ladies, Bring Back Birdie, and Uptown…It’s Hot!, receiving a Tony nomination for the latter.

His other notable credits include playing Nathan Detroit in a 2001 tour of Guys and Dolls, in which he appeared alongside Debbie Allen, Leslie Uggams, and Richard Roundtree, as well as Captain Jonas in Encores! House of Flowers in 2003.

Hines crossed paths with many great performers, including Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Duke Ellington, Lena Horne, and Judy Garland, to name just a few.

In 2016, he appeared off-Broadway and around the country in the loving show titled Maurice Hines: Tapping Through Life, in which he recalled his experiences with the timeless stars and paid tribute to his family.

He was one half of the Hines Brothers, with younger sibling Gregory dying in 2003 (Picture: Bennett Raglin/Getty Images for The Lucille Lortel Awards)

He said at the time: ‘I have had an absolute ball bringing Maurice Hines: Tapping Thru Life to New York.

‘Since my brother and mother made their transition, I have been lonely but keeping them alive every night has been one of the greatest joys of my life.

‘I am truly appreciative for all of the love and support I receive nightly from audiences.’

His brother died in 2003 at the age of 57 from liver cancer, a diagnosis he had only initially shared with loved ones.

Videos have long circulated online of the Hines Brothers performing truly incredible dance routines, as they starred together in Francis Ford Coppola’s The Cotton Club.

Commenters frequently praised their ‘fascinating’ skills, describing their deaths as a ‘big loss’.

Initially known as The Hines Kids, they began studying with choreographer Henry LeTang and were joined by their father, Maurice Hines, Sr., in 1963, changing their name to Hines, Hines, and Dad.

Eldest Maurice decided to pursue a solo career after that, forging an incredible career in choreography and directing.

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