Eugene Lee, Award-Winning ‘SNL’ and ‘Wicked’ Production Designer, Dead at 83

Lee won six Emmys for his work as a production designer.

Eugene Lee, a six-time Emmy Award winner and three-time Tony Award winner for his work as a production and set designer, died on Tuesday, Feb. 7, in Providence, Rhode Island. He was 83.

Lee was the longest-serving member of Saturday Night Live's cast, having worked in production on the show since its premiere in 1975. He also worked on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, and Late Night with Seth Meyers.

For his work as a production designer on Saturday Night Live, Lee took home six Emmys, scoring five in a row from 2017 to 2021. In total, he was nominated 18 times.

Along with his contributions to television, Lee was a very influential set designer in the world of Broadway. He worked on many great productions over the course of his career, including Merrily We Roll Along, Ragtime, On The Waterfront, Seussical, and more.

Lee earned three Tony Awards for scenic design, for Candide (1974), the original production of Sweeney Todd (1979), and Wicked (2004).

Wicked posted about Lee's death on social media, saying, "His legacy and contribution to the theater and television communities will always be cherished."

“Eugene Lee was a once-in-a-generation theater artist, one of the greatest minds to ever answer the question ‘What is theater?’ He was simultaneously playful and profound, childlike and rigorous, a genius who sees the world in ways that others only dream,” Trinity Rep artistic director Curt Columbus said.

He continued, "Every time I worked with Eugene as a designer, my work as a director became more bold, more expansive, and more true. It is one of the greatest honors of my life in the theater that I could call Eugene Lee my collaborator and my friend. Words cannot express how much he will be missed.”

GQ spoke with Lee for a feature in 2017. When asked what his best advice was, Lee said, "I think people should like what they do. There it is."

Lee is survived by his wife, Brooke, and two sons.