Award-winning songwriter Hal David, whose work was featured in hundreds of movies and television shows for more than six decades, died last Saturday morning, September 1st, in Los Angeles.
Mr. David, the son of a deli-owner in Brooklyn, rose to prominence as a top-rate lyricist and created a string of billboard hits with colleagues Burt Bacharach and Dionne Warwick. He also wrote songs for The Carpenters and Tom Jones.
David and Bacharach forged a strong working relationship, producing several songs which were nominated for Academy Awards: "What's New, Pussycat?" (What's New Pussycat?), "The Look of Love" (Casino Royale), "Alfie" (Alfie), and "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head" (Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid). "Raindrops" earned the duo their Oscar in 1970. They also composed the Tony-nominated (and Emmy-winning) musical Promises, Promises, which ran from 1968 to 1971.
During Mr. David's extensive career, he also garnered four Gershwin Prizes, served as President of ASCAP for six years, was inducted into both the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, and his star adorns the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He was 91.