Andrew Lloyd Webber just got very candid about something most legends tend to keep offstage: he quit drinking, calls himself a recovering alcoholic, and says the whole thing nearly blew up his home life. For a guy whose name is basically a Broadway subgenre, that is a big, bracing reset.
What changed
In a profile published Saturday, April 19, in The Times of London, the 78-year-old composer said he finally realized his drinking was not a private habit so much as a house-wide alarm. About 18 months ago, he says his family was in a bad way and his wife, Madeleine Gurdon (they married in 1991), felt she could not continue like that. Two months after that low point, he checked into an inpatient program and started going to Alcoholics Anonymous. He now describes himself as a recovering alcoholic.
'Sixteen months ago I decided that I needed help and it is the best thing that ever happened to me.'
Webber says the best part of AA for him is the level playing field: everyone walks in equal, and he has made friends he never expected. He has stuck to it hard — daily meetings, wherever he is in the world. He even hit a meeting in New York the same day he opened 'Cats: The Jellicle Ball' last week. No one in the room made a thing of it, which he clearly appreciated. His favorite meeting so far? St. Louis, Missouri — he joked the vibe there was very different from a session in London’s Chelsea, using a term ('rednecks') that tells you exactly the kind of cultural whiplash he is talking about.
How he got here (and where it went wrong before)
This is not his first attempt at sobriety. Back in 2015, he put the bottle down for 19 months, but he did it solo — what he calls white-knuckling — and then relapsed. The fear then: without wine, would he still be creative? He remembers early work on 'Cats' and 'Evita' happening with a glass in hand, and he panicked that sober writing might not come. So he started drinking again, secretly, chasing that loosened-up feeling until it snowballed.
Now he sounds pretty clear-eyed about how fortunate he was that it did not end in disaster. He says he thought he was getting away with it, and he is sincerely sorry for the mess he made along the way. This time, with actual support, he says the work has gotten sharper, not duller.
Where the work is landing now
Since quitting, Webber has been busy — and focused. He has 'Cats: The Jellicle Ball' up, a project called 'Masquerade' built around an immersive staging of 'The Phantom of the Opera,' and two more musicals in development. He is blunt: he does not think he could have managed the scope of that 'Phantom' staging if he were still drinking.
The family piece
At home, the support has been real. A few months back he walked into his New York apartment to find balloons with big '1' numerals — a present from his youngest daughter marking his first sober anniversary. Webber is an EGOT winner and a father of five: three kids — Alastair, William, and Isabella — with Gurdon, and two — Imogen and Nicholas — with his first wife, Sarah Hugill.
Nicholas died in 2023 after a battle with gastric cancer. Webber says his son had also struggled with alcoholism before getting sober, and that the toll it took on him was noticeable. He is careful not to claim what caused what, but he does not think the heavy medication Nicholas needed helped.
These days, Webber wears two leather bracelets: one engraved with Nicholas’s name, and another, a silver-linked piece from his other children, which he says serves as a physical reminder not to drink.
Timeline at a glance
- 2015: Stopped drinking for 19 months without support, then relapsed.
- 18 months ago: Says his family hit a breaking point; his wife felt she could not keep going like that.
- 16 months ago: Checked into an inpatient program and started AA; calls it the best decision he has made.
- Now: Daily AA meetings no matter the city; attended one in New York on the day 'Cats: The Jellicle Ball' opened; says his favorite was in St. Louis.
- Work since quitting: 'Cats: The Jellicle Ball,' 'Masquerade' (an immersive 'Phantom'), plus two more musicals in the pipeline.
- Family touchstone: Youngest daughter marked his 1-year sober milestone with balloons; he wears bracelets honoring Nicholas and the rest of his children.
If you or someone you know needs help, the SAMHSA National Helpline is 1-800-662-HELP (4357).