Members of the Florida Film Critics Circle are heartbroken to learn that longtime colleague Hap Erstein died on July 5.

According to Florida Theater On Stage, Erstein had been fighting Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease or COPD for years.

A theater critic for The Palm Beach Post for 14 years until 2008 and for The Washington Times from 1982-1994, Erstein earned a nomination for the Pulitzer Prize in criticism. His reviews regularly appeared in Palm Beach ArtsPaper. The stars Erstein interviewed included Katharine Hepburn, Bette Davis, Lucille Ball, George Burns and Stephen Sondheim. He also taught theater appreciation courses at Florida Atlantic University’s Lifelong Learning Society.

“Hap was a good friend and mentor,” said Dan Hudak, former FFCC chair. “I loved his insights into classic Hollywood, and he had an encyclopedic knowledge of theatre. I certainly know I have a deeper appreciation of Stephen Sondheim because of him! He was also devilishly funny with a quick wit and razor-sharp mind, and I loved hearing about his world travels. He will be missed.”

According to media reports quoted in the Palm Beach Post, Erstein was born in Washington, D.C., and graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York, with a bachelor’s degree in literature. He later received a masters in journalism from American University in Washington.

Erstein is survived by his wife Elaine. A memorial will be held sometime in August.