Theatre director Claire van Kampen, wife of Sir Mark Rylance, dies aged 71

British theatre director and composer Claire van Kampen has passed away at the age of 71, her husband, actor Sir Mark Rylance, has confirmed. Van Kampen was the first female director of music at both the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre. She died of cancer last Saturday, the news was released by Sir Mark and her daughter Juliet.

They described her as “one of the most hilarious and inspiring women we have ever known.” Her theatrical works also include writing the play "Farinelli And The King," which starred her husband and received multiple Olivier Award nominations, including Best New Play, as well as multiple Tony Award nominations. The statement said she died in the town of Kassel, Germany, surrounded by her family. Last Saturday was also Sir Mark's 65th birthday.

The statement added: "We are grateful for the way she enriched our lives with her magic, her music, her laughter and her love." "Ring the bells, sound the horns, something has ended, something has begun. A great wise woman has departed." Van Kampen and Sir Mark married in 1989, the same year she wrote the music for the Royal Shakespeare Company's production of "Hamlet," in which Sir Mark starred.

She also created original scores for Broadway plays, including "True West," "Boeing-Boeing," and "La Bete," as well as adaptations of Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night" and "Richard III." After studying music theory and piano at the Royal Academy of Music in London, Van Kampen joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1986. She joined the Royal National Theatre the following year, and served as Sir Mark's artistic associate at Shakespeare's Globe in the capital.

Most recently, Van Kampen was a research fellow and senior research fellow in early modern music at the Globe Theatre, and also a creative associate at the Old Vic Theatre in London. She also served as the Tudor music consultant and arranger for the BBC television series "Wolf Hall." Van Kampen had two daughters with her former husband, architect Christopher van Kampen. Her daughter Natasha, a filmmaker, died of a brain hemorrhage in 2012 at the age of 28.