Playwright Arthur Miller has died aged 89

The playwright Arthur Miller has died aged 89. He died on Thursday evening (10 Feb 2005), having battled with cancer, pneumonia and a heart condition.

"Mr Miller passed away at his home in Roxbury, Connecticut, last night at 9.17pm of congenital heart failure," said Julia Bolus, the playwright's assistant.

Mr Miller is widely recognised by many to be one of the most significant playwrights of the 20th century. His plays always expressed a strong social conscience. "The Crucible" and "A View From The Bridge" questioned the morality of McCarthyism. And both plays justify his reasons for refusing to testify in front of the House of Un-American Activities Committee.

He was briefly married to Marilyn Monroe and his play "After The Fall" is widely belived to be a portrayal of his unhappy marriage.

His major characters are ordinary and suffering individuals seemingly trapped by naturalistic circumstances. And yet, Miller points out, they have dignity if not human greatness. Miller has argued forcefully that the 'little man' is capable of heroic status. Many of his plays proclaim that there is more to human dignity then one's success or failure in the market place.

"Don't say he's a great man. Willy Loman never made a lot of money. His name was never in the paper. He's not the finest character that ever lived. But he's a human being, and a terrible thing is happening to him. So attention must be paid. He's not to be allowed to fall into his grave like an old dog. Attention, attention must finally be paid to such a person."
(from Arthur Miller's, Death of a Salesman)