Legendary composer Burt Bacharach dies at 94
Written by ABC Audio. All rights reserved. on February 10, 2023
Legendary composer Burt Bacharach passed away Wednesday, February 8, at the age of 94. His publicist confirmed the news, sharing that he died of natural causes at his home in Los Angeles.
Bacharach’s more than 50-year career resulted in a slew of chart-topping hits, including 48 Top 100 songs, nine #1 tunes and more than 500 compositions. Many of his hits were written with lyricist Hal David, with some of the most well-known tracks recorded by Dionne Warwick, including “Walk On By,” “Do You Know The Way To San Jose,” “I Know I’ll Never Love This Way Again,” “I Say A Little Prayer For You” and the theme song for the 1968 movie “Alfie.”
The pair also wrote several smashes for the big screen, including “What’s New Pussycat,” which was recorded by Tom Jones, and “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head” from the movie Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, which earned them the Oscar for Best Original Song.
He later teamed up with Carole Bayer Sager, whom he was married to from 1981 to 1992. Their partnership produced even more hits, including “Arthur’s Theme (Beset That You Can Do),” which they wrote with Christopher Cross and Peter Allen for the 1981 movie Arthur. The tune topped the chart and also won an Oscar for Best Original Song. They also wrote the #1 song “That’s What Friends Are For,” which reteamed Bacharach with Warwick and featured Elton John, Gladys Knight and Stevie Wonder. The tune went on to win a Grammy for Song of the Year.
In 1998, he collaborated with Elvis Costello on the album Painted from Memory, earning a Grammy for the song “I Still Have That Other Girl.”
Bacharach also made several appearances in front of the camera and had a famous cameo in Mike Myers’ 1997 film, Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, and its sequels.
Bacharach is a six-time Grammy winner and three-time Oscar winner. He received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008, and he and David were awarded the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song in 2012.
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