Legendary songwriter Burt Bacharach died in Los Angeles on Feb. 8 of natural causes at age 94.
Bacharach wrote/co-wrote 73 Top-40 hits in the United States throughout his 70+ year career in the music business, including iconic songs such as “This Guy’s in Love with You,” “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head,” “(They Long to Be) Close to You,” “Arthur’s Theme (Best That You Can Do),” and “That’s What Friends Are For,” often along with lyricist Hal David. Many of his popular songs were performed by Dionne Warwick, with 22 Top-40 hits including songs such as “Walk on By,” “I Say a Little Prayer” and “Do You Know the Way to San Jose?”
Throughout his career, Bacharach’s songs were recorded by famous artists including Barbra Streisand, Aretha Franklin, Tom Jones, Rod Stewart, the Walker Brothers, and Luther Vandross. His songs spanned across the 1960s and 70s, and in the 1980s he found success with lyricist Carole Bayer Sager (who would also become his wife) on hit song from Christopher Cross, Patti LaBelle and Michael McDonald, and Neil Diamond. His 1998 collaboration with Elvis Costello, Painted From Memory, won a Grammy for best pop collaboration with vocals, and he re-teamed with Costello in 2018 for another album, Look Now.
Bacharach is survived by wife Jane Hansen, sons Christopher and Oliver, and daughter Raleigh.
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