Burt Bacharach, one of the greatest songwriters of the 20th century, has died at the age of 94.
The US musician has composed more than 500 songs during his career and was behind hits like I Say A Little Prayer, Walk On By, Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head and Do You Know The Way To San Jose.
Bacharach had written for stars including Dionne Warwick, Cilla Black, Tom Jones and Dusty Springfield, and provided a mellow alternative soundtrack to rock and roll in the 1960s and 70s.
Photo: Dezo Hoffman/Shutterstock
His music had whimsical arrangements and unforgettable melodies, and more than 1,200 artists have performed his songs.
Bacharach has won six Grammys, including a Lifetime Achievement Award, and three Academy Awards during his seven-decade career.
He died of natural causes at his home in the Los Angeles area on Wednesday with his family by his side.
Earning comparisons to American greats George Gershwin and Cole Porter, Bacharach began his career as a songwriter in the early 1950s, working with Hollywood star Marlene Dietrich, before forming a professional relationship with lyricist Hal David in 1957.
But it was when Bacharach and David met Dionne Warwick in 1961 that their talent really took off, with 39 of his chart hits penned by the pair.
Singer Noel Gallagher was among the tributes, writing on Instagram, “RIP Maestro. Nice meeting you.”
‘Innovative and original’
“I’m someone who’s always trying to face melody,” Bacharach said, speaking of his musical talents.
David once told an interviewer: “It was just different. Innovative, original. His music spoke to me. I heard his melodies and I felt the lyrics. I heard rhymes, I heard thoughts and I felt listen to it almost immediately.”
Performing concerts around the world towards the end of his career, Bacharach has had fans of all generations thanks to the resurgence of lounge music in the 1990s.
Remixes and samples of his work have kept him in the public consciousness long after he’s stopped making hits, as has Hollywood’s use of many of his tunes as soundtracks to their films.
Despite being crowned king of easy listening, his fans argued that his use of mixed meters and complex melodies made his compositions anything but “easy”.
Subsequent collaborations with stars as diverse as Sheryl Crow, Elvis Costello and Dr Dre, as well as a performance on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury Festival in 2015, proved that Bacharach has never gone out of style.
Bacharach tweeted his Toledo performance with Costello three days before he died.
