He made Aretha Franklin, Dusty Springfield and the Beatles sing: American composer Burt Bacharach, who created dozens of melodies that have become classics, notably for his favorite performer Dionne Warwick, died at the age of 94 on Wednesday, February 8, at his home in Los Angeles, of natural causes.
Pianist passionate about jazz, born on May 12, 1928 in Kansas City, Missouri, Burt Bacharach studied the art of composition at several American universities. After his military service, he was hired by Marlène Dietrich as an arranger and musical director for her tours. In 1957, he met lyricist Hal David (who died in 2012), with whom he would form one of the most successful duos in the music industry. The author duo is also acclaimed by Hollywood. In 1970, they won two Oscars for the music for the film Butch Cassidy and the Kid and its original song Raindrops Keep Fallin' on my Head. Burt Bacharach won another in 1982 with Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do), the original song from the movie Arthur.