Tony-winning producer Adam Epstein has passed away at the age of 49.

His younger brother, Brett Epstein, confirmed the news on Facebook, writing, "It's with profound sadness and the heaviest of hearts that I announce the passing of my beloved brother and best friend Adam Epstein. Adam who would have been 50 on September 7th, tragically lost a very short yet incredibly grueling battle to a brain tumor (Gliosarcoma). My entire family is devastated and in shock from his loss."

Miami native Adam Epstein earned a BA in political science from New York University, where he subsequently worked as an adjunct faculty member. He also earned a Master's Degree in American Studies at Brown University.

On Broadway Mr. Epstein's producing credits included The Life, A View From the Bridge, Amadeus, The Crucible, Hairspray, The Wedding Singer, and Cry-Baby. Those productions earned a total of 46 Tony nominations and 12 Tony Awards, including one for Epstein as producer of the 2003 Tony-winning Best Musical Hairspray—which later enjoyed life as a feature film, a live TV broadcast, and innumerable productions domestically and around the world.

It was following Hairspray that Mr. Epstein approached his Tony-winning book writing team of Thomas Meehan and Mark O'Donnell to jump on board to transform another John Waters film, Cry-Baby, into a Broadway musical.

"We had such a good time working on Hairspray. It turned out to be a success, which is nice. And we like John very much; he's a great guy to work with," late librettist Meehan told Playbill in 2008. "Adam Epstein had the idea to do another John Waters [musical] and suggested Cry-Baby—we knew the movie and thought it was interesting. And John Waters' take or his version on West Side Story as it were, or Romeo and Juliet—the lovers struggle from two sides of the tracks, getting in conflict and with the gangs—seemed like it would be fun to do. It's about class really."

Mr. Epstein also received Tony nominations as producer of Best Musical nominees Cry-Baby and The Wedding Singer and for Best Revival of a Play nominees Amadeus and The Crucible.

Mr. Epstein, who billed himself on Facebook as a "retired Broadway producer," had most recently worked in political media. He hosted his own show, entitled The Dispatch, which appeared weekly on his YouTube channel. He was also a guest lecturer at both Harvard and Columbia universities and a liberal pundit on Fox News. He had also published numerous essays on culture and politics.