Andrew Lloyd Webber’s eldest son, Nick Lloyd Webber, has died following an 18-month-long battle with gastric cancer. He was 43.

The legendary theatrical composer announced the news Saturday, stating that his son had died earlier that day. On Thursday, Lloyd Webber posted to Instagram that Nick had been checked into hospice care after he was diagnosed with pneumonia due to the cancer battle.

“I am shattered to have to announce that my beloved elder son Nick died a few hours ago in Basingstoke Hospital,” Lloyd Webber’s latest statement read. “His whole family is gathered together and we are all totally bereft. Thank you for all your thoughts during this difficult time.”

Nick Lloyd Webber is a Grammy-nominated composer and record producer who has worked on the BBC One series Love, Lies and Records, which is an adaptation of author Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s classic book The Little Prince. He also scored director Gillies McKinnon’s 2021 feature film The Last Bus, which starred Timothy Spall and Phyllis Logan.

He married viola player Polly Wiltshire in 2018.

Andrew Lloyd Webber issued a statement earlier this month about his son’s illness, which he said would cause him to miss preview performances and the opening night of his new musical, Bad Cinderella, on Broadway. The musical opened March 23.

The EGOT winner is well-known for composing the music for The Phantom of the Opera, which is winding down its Broadway run after 35 years. He has also scored such theatrical hits as Cats, Evita, Jesus Christ Superstar and Starlight Express.