Experimental theater stage director and playwright Robert Wilson passed away on Thursday, July 31, 2025. He was 83 years old and would have celebrated his 84th birthday this October. Wilson's personal website confirmed his death on Thursday with a statement, which reads:"We are heartbroken to announce the passing of Robert M. Wilson, artist, theater and opera director, architect, set and lighting designer, visual artist, and founder of The Watermill Center."Wilson reportedly "died peacefully" in Water Mill, New York, and it was revealed that he suffered from a "brief and acute illness" before his death. However, per the statement, the late theater pioneer didn't let his diagnosis stop him. He reportedly faced it "with clear eyes and determination" and continued working until the very end.There will be memorials dedicated to Robert Wilson in the future, as details will be shared at a later date. The statement on his website, however, noted that those memorials will be held in locations meaningful to the late theater pioneer.Robert Wilson's productions have helped shape the look of theater and opera since the late 1960sBorn in Waco, Texas, in 1941, Robert Wilson left his home state to move to Brooklyn, hoping to pursue a career in art and architecture. Later, that interest in art grew into a career in theater and production, starting in the late 1960s after founding a performance art group called Byrd Hoffman School of Byrds.There, he created and directed his first major works, like the four-act opera, Einstein on the Beach, which would become one of his most famous works. It's also the first time he worked with composer Philip Glass. Unlike traditional opera, where the score, plot, and staging are created independently, those elements are created together in Einstein, upending the conventions of opera.In 2012, Robert Wilson opened up to The Guardian about making Einstein, which he credited for establishing his and Glass' career and legacy in theater. Bringing Einstein to New York, at the Metropolitan Museum, after touring Europe, was a gamble, but it paid off. Wilson said that he wanted to do the show at the Met, but they said no to him, adding:"I saw there was a night when nothing was on, a Sunday, so I rented it myself. It cost $90,000, a lot of money. It sold out, so we put on a second performance."Robert Wilson shared his shock at how "a crazy mixture of people turned up," and while they ended up in debt because of it, those performances established both him and Glass in the theater industry. Their partnership led to two more operas, White Raven and Monsters of Grace.Among his earliest works are The King of Spain and The Life and Times of Sigmund Freud. He also created the silent opera Deafman Glance with Raymond Andrews, a young Black man, deaf and mute, whom Wilson saw being a victim of police brutality. He eventually intervened and supported the young man during the proceedings, ultimately leading the playwright to adopt Andrews.With his influence in theater and opera, he was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize for Drama for CIVIL warS in 1986. He was the sole nominee that year, although there was no prize awarded at the time.