Martin Charnin, the Broadway lyricist and director who conceived of turning the comic strip “Little Orphan Annie” into “Annie,” the hit musical whose title character vowed that “the sun’ll come out tomorrow,” died July 6 in a hospital in White Plains, NY. He was 84.

“Annie” was by far the most successful venture of Mr. Charnin’s career, opening in April 1977 and running for 2,377 performances — almost six years. “Annie” went on to win seven Tony Awards in all, including for best musical, best score, and best book. Dorothy Loudon, who played Miss Hannigan, the villainous child-hating matron of the orphanage, won for best actress.

The show also spawned two Broadway revivals, two stage sequels, and two films. Mr. Charnin, who was nominated for a Tony for his direction, directed 42 touring productions of the original musical.