William H. “Billy” May, world-renowned entertainment producer, director and composer, died on New Year’s Eve at St Vincent’s Hospital in Melbourne, Australia. May’s death follows a recent illness.
He created Melbourne’s iconic special events centre in an 1890s warehouse in Kensington, which became one of Melbourne’s top special events venues. It was known as No12.
William May, dinosaur creator, dies - The Age 6th Jan
WILLIAM H. ''Billy'' May, the theatrical producer who created the Walking with Dinosaurs arena show, died in St Vincent's Hospital on New Year's Eve, aged 56, due to complications from pneumonia.
A showman who trained at the New York High School of Performing Arts, May moved to Australia in 1972 at the age of 19 to be with his life partner, producer Malcolm Cooke. Together, the two men worked on more than 40 productions in Australia, London and New York, including the Arts Centre's 2002 production of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, a 1983 Broadway musical about Marilyn Monroe (Marilyn - a Fable) and a 1997 West End musical, Always, about the love affair between Edward VII and Wallis Simpson.
