‘DWTS’ Music Director Harold Wheeler Dies: Derek Hough & More Pay Tribute

Harold Wheeler, who served as the music director for Dancing With the Stars from Seasons 1 to 17, has died. The Broadway orchestrator was 82 years old, and his cause of death has not been confirmed, per The Hollywood Reporter.

After news of Wheeler’s death was announced on June 25, tributes poured in from those who worked with him, including Dancing With the Stars cast members.

“Harold Wheeler was the original musical director of @dancingwiththestars, and he helped build so much of the magic we all know,” Derek Hough wrote on Instagram. “From the Oscars to countless iconic shows, he was a legend. “I’ll always remember sending him ideas in my early seasons and that fun moment when Shawn [Johnson] and I tumbled right into his band pit. Harold, thank you for the music, the kindness, and the memories. Rest in peace, my friend.”

 

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The show’s original host, Tom Bergeron, wrote, “In 2005, when you first heard the music of @dancingwiththestars, it was coming from Harold Wheeler and his orchestra. Nothing gave me greater pleasure than making him & his orchestra break up during dress rehearsals. Well, that & basking in the brilliance of their talent. #RIP my friend.”

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Wheeler left the show in 2014 and was replaced by Ray Chew and his smaller band. At the time, ABC said in a statement, “Our talented Music Director, Harold Wheeler, will not be joining us for season 18 of Dancing with the Stars. Since season 1, Harold and his band have performed brilliant music in our ballroom for our dancers and the American viewers at home. We are grateful to him and his band for their amazing work and years of collaboration. We wish him the best of luck.”

In 2019, Wheeler received the Lifetime Achievement Award in the Theater at the Tony Awards. His most recent Broadway project was Ain’t Too Proud in 2019, but he has also worked on Hairspray, Swing!, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Hugh Jackman: Back on Broadway, Dreamgirls, and more.