Monday, July 27, 2009. From the New York Times:

Merce Cunningham, the visionary American choreographer who helped transform dance in the 20th-century into a major art and a major form of theater, died Sunday night at his home in Manhattan. He was 90. His death was announced by the The Cunningham Dance Foundation, which received visitors at its 55 Bethune Street studios on July 27 from 9am to 9pm.