Legendary Songwriter Burt Bacharach Dead at 94
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Burt Bacharach, the legendary songwriter behind hits like “Walk on By,” “Do You Know the Way to San Jose” and “I Say a Little Prayer,” has died. He was 94.
Bacharach died of natural causes on Wednesday at his home in Los Angeles, his publicist Tina Brausam told the Associated Press.
The six-time Grammy-winner has been nominated by the Recording Academy 21 times. The late star also won three Academy Awards (for Arthur and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid) and was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1972. Two decades later, he received the The Johnny Mercer Award in 1996, which is the Songwriters Hall of Fame’s most revered honor.
The composer was best known for his decades-long partnership with lyricist Hal David, with whom he penned dozens of hits, including many for Dionne Warwick.
“Bacharach and [Hal] David both were as new to this industry as I was, so we kind of all grew together,” Warwick told PEOPLE last year of their early days. “There was really no need for them to think that they could change anything about me—and what developed was magical, I got to tell you that. We became best friends, most family than friends, actually, and a relationship that lasted for quite a long time.”
In 2018, Bacharach teamed up with Latin composer Rudy Pérez for the song “Live to See Another Day,” with a charitable component. The tune was in response to school shootings, which were occurring far too often in the U.S. at the time.
RELATED: Burt Bacharach Pens Emotional Song with Rudy Pérez Dedicated to Survivors of School Shootings
“School should be a safe place,” he told PEOPLE at the time. “When I went to school, which was a long time ago, my chief concern was what grades would I get. There never was a thought of a shooter. It’s unimaginable to me, yet it happens too often. I thought, ‘What do I do?’ I get grounded by writing music. I have something to say, so I said it by writing a song with Rudy Pérez.”
Net proceeds from “Live to See Another Day” were donated to Sandy Hook Promise, a violence prevention organization created by family members whose loved ones were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012.
“We’ve got to protect kids going to school. They should be going without fear,” Bacharach told PEOPLE. “I’ll do whatever I can to push this forward.”
Born in Missouri on May 12, 1928, Bacharach’s mom, a painter and songwriter, enlisted him in piano lessons throughout his youth. But he was known to have disliked his classical piano lessons, opting for his interest in jazz music instead.
Bacharach went on to earn his bachelor’s degree in music. During his undergraduate matriculation, the hitmaker studied a wide range of music, including jazz harmony which has heavily influenced his style through the years.
After concluding his tour of duty in the U.S. Army, Bacharach served as a pianist and conductor for late singer Vic Damone for three years. He eventually went on to become a music director for late actress-singer Marlene Dietrich.
The turning point in Bacharach’s career was when he began collaborating with Hal David. The two wrote “The Story of My Life,” recorded by Marty Robbins, and it became a No. 1 hit on Billboard’s Country chart in 1957.
In 2008, Bacharach received the Recording Academy’s coveted Lifetime Achievement Award.
He is survived by his fourth wife, Jane Hansen, whom he married in 1993, and children Oliver, Raleigh and Christopher. Bacharach was preceded in death by daughter Nikki, whom he shared with ex-wife Angie Dickinson.
Read the original article on People