from The LA Times

Celebrating iconic songwriter Hal David

Hal David, who helped pen iconic tunes like “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head” and “(They Long to Be) Close to You” has died. He was 91.

By Gerrick D. Kennedy

Hal David
Lyricist Hal David died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles on Saturday of complications from a stroke.(Paul Buck / EPA / September 1, 2012)

Hal David, the lyricist of pop music standards such as “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head” and “(They Long to Be) Close to You” has died. He was 91.

David and his longtime partner composer Burt Bacharach etched an indelible footprint on the American songbook when they penned dozens of top 40 hits.

WATCH: 10 iconic Hal David songs

The two crafted a slew of memorable singles in the 1960s and early 1970s for a range of artists including Dionne Warwick,the Carpenters, Dusty Springfield, Gene Pitney and Tom Jones.

Some of the standards in the Bacharach-David catalog include “Walk on By,” “Do You Know the Way to San Jose,” “I Say a Little Prayer” and “One Less Bell to Answer” – and dozens more that were hits on radio and on soundtracks to film and TV for decades.

[ click to read full article at LATimes.com ]