Jonathan Larson

The playwright, composer, and lyricist for Rent

He was a Jewish white cis man, whose sexuality is questioned to this day

The people he was close to say that he was gay, while others say he was just a straight ally

His roommate had contracted AIDS which encouraged him to write a musical to showcase the experience of a person who is close friends with someone who contracted AIDS

He was born in 1960

He died in 1996

Researched by Wren Biggers