Andrew Lloyd Webber Dedicates Final 'Phantom of the Opera' Broadway Performance to Late Son Nick

The iconic composer and impresario's son Nicholas died last month at age 43 from gastric cancer

The Phantom of the Opera took its final bow on Broadway Sunday evening — and Andrew Lloyd Webber dedicated the performance to his late son, Nicholas Lloyd Webber.

After 35 years and nearly 14,000 performances that made it the longest-running show in Broadway history, Phantom played for the final time at the Majestic Theatre in New York City, where Andrew, 75, dedicated the curtain call to Nick, who died last month at age 43 from gastric cancer.

"I hope you won't mind if I dedicate this performance to my son, Nick," Andrew told attendees, according to Deadline.

Then, turning to his ex-wife Sarah Brightman — who originated the role of Christine Daaé in the musical — Andrew recalled, "When Nick was a little boy, he heard some of this music."

"Yes, he did," responded Brightman, 62, per the outlet. "When Andrew was writing it, he was right there. So his soul is with us. Nick, we love you very much."

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Related: Hear Andrew Lloyd Webber's New "Think of Me" for Phantom of the Opera's Broadway Close (Exclusive)

Back in September 2022, it was announced that Phantom would be taking its final bow in 2023. By November, the musical had gotten a two-month extension.

Based on the 1910 French novel by Gaston Leroux, Phantom opened on the West End in 1986 before making its Great White Way debut in 1988. The latter show was directed by the late Harold Prince.

It won the Tony Award for best musical and later inspired a 2004 Joel Schumacher–directed movie adaptation, which starred Emmy Rossum, Gerard Butler, Patrick Wilson and Minnie Driver.

Related: Andrew Lloyd Webber Reveals His Eldest Son Nicholas Is "Critically Ill" with Stomach Cancer

Andrew announced his son's death in a statement shared with PEOPLE on March 25.

"I am shattered to have to announce that my beloved elder son Nick died a few hours ago in Basingstoke Hospital," he said at the time. "His whole family is gathered together and we are all totally bereft."

"Thank you for all your thoughts during this difficult time," added the iconic composer and impresario.

Nick was the son of Andrew and Sarah Hugill, whom Andrew was married to from 1971 to 1983.

RELATED VIDEO: Lin-Manuel Miranda Has "Playoff" with "Maestro" Andrew Lloyd Webber

After Phantom's final performance, Andrew said, per Deadline, "Thank you to absolutely everyone who has made this extraordinary run possible."

"It is just amazing really what has happened, and in the last few months I don't think any of us thought that Phantom would go out quite with the bang it has," he continued.

Hinting at how the show could one day make a return, as many Broadway musicals have over the years, Andrew noted, "It may come back — you never know."

"What I would like to say is if it was going to go out with a bang, it couldn't have gone out with a better performance," he added.

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.