Lifestyle Health Andrew Lloyd Webber Recalls Final Moments with Late Son Nick, Who Died of Stomach Cancer "Nothing's worse for a parent than the death of a child," the iconic composer and impresario wrote in a personal essay By Vanessa Etienne Vanessa Etienne Vanessa Etienne is an Emerging Content Writer-Reporter for PEOPLE. People Editorial Guidelines Published on April 18, 2023 03:49PM EDT Close Photo: Alan Davidson/Shutterstock Andrew Lloyd Webber is opening up about his final moments with his late son. In a heartfelt personal essay — published Monday in The New York Times — the iconic composer and impresario, 75, described saying goodbye to his eldest son, Nicholas "Nick" Lloyd Webber, who died last month from gastric cancer. "'An apple a day, if well aimed, keeps the doctor away.' I was speaking in P.G. Wodehouse quotes with my eldest son, Nick, who was in hospice, where he was being treated for cancer just days ago," Webber began. He continued, "'Here's one for you,' said Nick, laughing. He had surmised that, after bulletins from New York, his father, as Wodehouse might have put it, was less than gruntled. 'Has anybody ever seen a dramatic critic in the daytime? Of course not. They come out after dark, up to no good.' We hugged and said our goodbyes." "The next day, my son died," Webber wrote. "Nothing's worse for a parent than the death of a child." Andrew Lloyd Webber's Son Nicholas Dead from Stomach Cancer at 43: 'We Are All Totally Bereft' Andrew Lloyd Webber's Son Nicholas in Hospice After Stomach Cancer Diagnosis, Pneumonia Webber revealed that Nick died at age 43 on March 25, just a week after sharing a statement that his son was "critically ill" with gastric cancer and being moved into hospice. "I am shattered to have to announce that my beloved elder son Nick died a few hours ago in Basingstoke Hospital," he said in a statement shared with PEOPLE. "His whole family is gathered together and we are all totally bereft." "Thank you for all your thoughts during this difficult time," he added. Following Nick's death, Webber dedicated his final Phantom of the Opera performance to him. "I hope you won't mind if I dedicate this performance to my son, Nick," he told attendees, according to Deadline. Then, turning to his ex-wife Sarah Brightman — who originated the role of Christine Daaé in the musical — Webber 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."