The great lyricist, Hal David, who wrote “Raindrops keep falling on my head” has died at 91. The Oscar- and Grammy-winning songwriter died at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles Saturday from complications of a stroke. Click below to read more.
The Oscar- and Grammy-winning songwriter, who teamed with musician Burt Bacharach on dozens of hit songs, died Saturday at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles from complications of a stroke, ASCAP said.
David started working with Bacharach in the late 1950s on tunes recorded by artists including Perry Como, Gene Pitney, Dusty Springfield, Tom Jones, Frank Sinatra, the Carpenters, Barbra Streisand and Dionne Warwick. In May, President Barack Obama and the first lady hosted a concert honoring Bacharach and David as part of the “In Performance at the White House” series.
“As a lyric writer, Hal was simple, concise and poetic — conveying volumes of meaning in fewest possible words and always in service to the music,” ASCAP President and Chairman Paul Williams said. “It is no wonder that so many of his lyrics have become part of our everyday vocabulary and his songs … the backdrop of our lives.”
Singer Smokey Robinson on Saturday said David was one of his songwriting idols when he was growing up.
“I hope that the music world will join together in celebrating the life of one of our greatest composers ever,” Robinson said in a statement Saturday. “I will really miss my friend but I will celebrate his life and he will live on-and-on through his incredible musical contribution.”
