Hugh Southern held some high-profile jobs. He was acting chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts during the culture wars of the 1980s and, briefly, general manager of the Metropolitan Opera.

But perhaps his most lasting legacy stems from an earlier stint as executive director of the Theater Development Fund, a nonprofit organization in New York that supports the performing arts.

While there, Mr. Southern helped establish the TKTS booth in Times Square, where over the years millions of theatergoers have bought discounted same-day tickets to some of the most heralded shows both on and off Broadway.

Mr. Southern died on July 15 in a hospital in Leesburg, Va. He was 87. His wife, Kathy Dwyer Southern, said the cause was pneumonia and congestive heart failure.