Burt Bacharach, legendary 'Walk on By' and 'Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head' composer, dies at 94

Burt Bacharach, the legendary pianist and composer behind beloved hits like "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head" and "(They Long to Be) Close to You," has died, reports the Associated Press.

The musician died of natural causes at his Los Angeles home on Wednesday, Feb. 8, his publicist Tina Brausam confirmed to the outlet. He was 94.

Bacharach is widely considered one of the most influential composers of the 20th century. Alongside longtime collaborator and lyricist Hal David, he wrote hundreds of pop songs that have become modern standards, including Herb Alpert's "This Guy's in Love With You," the Carpenters' "(They Long to Be) Close to You," and Rod Stewart's "That's What Friends Are For" — which Dionne Warwick, Elton John, Gladys Knight, and Stevie Wonder's 1985 cover later popularized.

Herb Ball/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images Burt Bacharach

As a teen, Bacharach developed an interest in jazz and later studied music at three separate universities: McGill University, Mannes School of Music, and the Music Academy of the West. His musical prowess was sidelined for two years while serving in the Army, but, upon returning home, he soon began conducting and playing the piano for popular big-band singer Vic Damone. At the age of 28, he struck up a prolific partnership with Marlene Dietrich that sent him touring the globe until the early '60s and solidified his standing as a premier arranger and conductor.

During that time period, Bacharach also met and began working with lyricist Hal David. The pair struck gold with their 1957 hit "The Story of My Life," which was recorded by Marty Robbins, and continued to release chart-topping singles together well into the '70s, including Perry Como's "Magic Moments," Tom Jones' "What's New Pussycat?," and a collection of Dionne Warwick, songs including "Walk on By" and "Don't Make Me Over."

Together, the pair won the Academy Award for Best Original Song for their classic "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head," which they wrote for the Paul Newman– and Robert Redford–fronted 1969 film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Bacharach also took home the award for Best Original Score for the film at the event. In 1982, he received his third Oscar for Best Original Song for the song "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)" for the film Arthur.

Bacharach would have further success working alongside his then-wife and lyricist Carole Bayer Sager on songs including Neil Diamond's "Heartlight," Christopher Cross' "A Chance for Heaven," and Patti LaBelle and Michael McDonald's "On My Own." He also co-wrote and recorded the Grammy-winning pop album Painted From Memory with Elvis Costello in 1998.

Throughout his career, the six-time Grammy winner released more than 20 albums, many of them prominent film scores and live performances. He arranged, conducted, and produced most of his own material, which has gone on to be recorded by more than 1,000 different artists over the years.

In addition to having more than 70 Top 40 hits to his name, Bacharach performed on a host of televised specials throughout the 1970s, including An Evening With Burt Bacharach, Another Evening With Burt Bacharach, and Singer Presents Burt Bacharach. He also made cameos in all three Austin Powers films.

Bacharach continued to collaborate with fellow artists throughout his life and, at the age of 91 in 2020, collaborated with singer-songwriter Daniel Tashian on the Grammy-nominated EP Blue Umbrella.

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