Acclaimed Conductor Michael Tilson Thomas Dies at 81

Michael Tilson Thomas, the acclaimed American conductor who shaped classical music through decades of innovative leadership at major orchestras, died Wednesday at his home in San Francisco. He was 81.

The cause was glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer, according to his publicist, Constance Shuman. Thomas underwent surgery for the tumor in 2021 and returned to conducting, but announced its recurrence in February 2025. He led his final concert with the San Francisco Symphony that April, marking a belated celebration of his 80th birthday.

Born on December 21, 1944, in Los Angeles to a family immersed in the arts, Thomas grew up in a household influenced by his grandparents, Boris and Bessie Thomashefsky, pioneers of American Yiddish theater. His father, Ted Thomas, worked in theater, film and television, while his mother, Roberta, headed research at Columbia Pictures. As a child, Thomas displayed prodigious talent, playing piano by ear at age 5 and studying at the University of Southern California, where he graduated in 1967. There, he collaborated with composers including Igor Stravinsky, Aaron Copland, Pierre Boulez and Karlheinz Stockhausen.