Oscar-winning songwriter Hal David dead at 91

US: Hal David, an Oscar- and Grammy-winning lyricist who produced dozens of hit songs with composer Burt Bacharach, died Saturday in Los Angeles. He was 91.

David died of complications from a stroke, according to Jim Steinblatt, spokesman for the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers that the songwriter once led.

Bacharach and David’s long series of hits during their collaboration from the 1950s through the 1970s included “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head,”What The World Needs Now Is Love” and “What’s New Pussycat?” As a lyric writer, Hal was simple, concise and poetic -- conveying volumes of meaning in (the) fewest possible words and always in service to the music,” ASCAP president and chairman Paul Williams said in a statement.

“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.” Music legends such as The Beatles, Frank Sinatra and Barbra Streisand recorded the duo’s music, along with their longtime partner Dionne Warwick.

AFP