AJ Carothers

Who was AJ Carothers?

AJ Carothers was an American playwright and television writer, best known for his work with Walt Disney, who was a close friend. Disney's daughter later spoke at Mr. Carothers' funeral. Carothers describes reaction to Disney's death at the studio in a video included at the Walt Disney Family Museum.

Born in Houston, Texas on October 22, 1931, Carothers was older than his two siblings, Gibson and Lesley. He sold his first story, a murder mystery, to a classmate when he was 9 for 15 cents. After an Army stint in Panama – where he helped create the first television station in the Caribbean – he returned to Los Angeles to pursue his career in 1957. During his career, he wrote more than 100 motion pictures, television shows, and plays. His final works included writing the book for the Sherman Brothers stage musical Piccadilly., which toured the U.S. in 1996, and was produced in November, 2006, by the York Theater Festival, and Two Can Play, which enjoyed successful runs in Kansas City and Virginia.

Carothers also wrote speeches for Nancy Reagan, John Ritter, Patrick Stewart, John Lithgow and many others. He wrote the scripts for the Music Center Spotlight Awards from its 1995 inception through 2006.