I'm a little appalled that Larson's family is being so personally attacked over unspecified hearsay on how the Larsons
feel about the latest production of RENT - on a message board, which, even if the hearsay is true, falls well within their rights and jurisdiction.
"What they did to poor Lynn Thomson, who actually helped write the piece, was as nasty as not providing their son with a doctor. They are not admirable people" First of all, are you seriously, even if indirectly, blaming the family for Larson's death? How many 30-somethings do you know whose mommy and daddy pay their health insurance? Larson died of complications of Marfan's, a syndrome that is not so well-known and was, in him as with many sufferers, undiagnosed. As is well-known, he had seen two doctors in the days leading to his death, for all the good it did him. To suggest that his family failed him by not paying his insurance isn't really reasonable, and to call them (or their behavior) "nasty" is uncalled-for.
As to Thomson. She was a dramaturg, who herself admitted her primary input was historical research. After Larson's death, Thomson sent the family a letter, claiming Larson would have wanted her to have a small percentage of his royalty, and they offered 1%, even though they were under no legal obligation whatsoever to do so. When Thomson rejected that, the offer was doubled. Then negotiations broke down, and Thomson sued the family. Billy Aronson had protected himself legally for his input to RENT. Thomson did not protect herself for whatever she contributed - did not, in fact even make contemporaneous notes of her contributions. At worst, she looks like a grave-robber. At best, she looks foolish for not insisting on documentation of the relationship, as Larson and Aronson did. In any case, she brought her case to court and lost the lawsuit.
Thomson's lawsuit
