Burt Bacharach, legendary composer of pop songs, dies at 94

Los Angeles (AFP) – Legendary American pop composer Burt Bacharach has passed away in Los Angeles at the age of 94, according to US media. His prolific production helped create a chart-topping soundtrack for the 1960s and 1970s with classics like “I Say a Little Prayer.”

Bacharach wrote successes like “Walk On By” and “Do You Know the Way to San Jose,” and he collaborated with celebrities like Dionne Warwick, Aretha Franklin, Dusty Springfield, and Tom Jones.

Bacharach, who passed away on Wednesday from natural causes, was well-known for his jazz-infused pop ballads that occasionally reached the top of the charts on both sides of the Atlantic. He was also recognised for his romantic and melancholy songs.

He was a pianist who loved jazz and was born on May 12, 1928, in Kansas City, Missouri. He attended many American universities to study composition.

He was employed by Marlene Dietrich as an arranger and musical director for her tours following his time in the military.

He first met lyricist Hal David in 1957, and the two went on to forge one of the most fruitful musical collaborations. Hal David passed away in 2012.

Four years later, they would stumble across Dionne Warwick, a young chorus girl who would go on to become their standard bearer, during a recording session.

They produced 15 singles that charted in the American Top 40 between 1962 and 1968.

The composition team received praise from Hollywood as well. For the score to the movie “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” and the original song “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head,” they received two Oscars in 1970.

A financial argument between the two men started around 1973. They did not collaborate again for the next ten years and only spoke through attorneys.

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