Howell Binkley, a two-time Tony Award winner for Best Lighting Design in a Musical, has died at the age of 64.
Binkley succumbed Friday to lung cancer after a three-year battle, reported the Winston-Salem Journal.
His wife, Joyce Storey, confirmed on Facebook that he died in a Jacksonville, N.C., hospital.
“(Howell) was not just a special spirit. He was adored by so many, and will be missed by all,” said Storey, who noted that he was a 10-time Tony nominee.
Ten years after copping his first Tony in 2006 for “Jersey Boys,” Binkley was honored for his work on the critical smash “Hamilton.”
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“Thank you for sculpting in light and elevating every moment you touched,” tweeted “Hamilton” creator and star Lin-Manuel Miranda Friday evening. “Where will I hide now if not at your tech table? I miss your smile and kindness already. Rest easy, pal.”
Binkley’s lighting design for “Kiss of the Spider Woman” earned him an Olivier Award in 1993, and he also was a five-time Helen Hayes Award recipient, according to Broadway World.
After attending East Carolina University, Binkley moved to New York City in 1978, according to the Journal.
Early on in his theater career, he became enthralled by lighting and mastered the technique during dance performances.
“You are sculpting the body from all sides in order to give definition to the body as it turns, as it’s lifted, as it rolls on the ground,” Binkley had stated previously. “I try in my lighting of plays and musicals to use that same carving tool.”
Other notable productions Binkley collaborated on were “In the Heights,” “Come From Away” and “West Side Story.”