PHOTO BY NOAM GALAI
American songwriter and music director Allee Willis died after going into cardiac arrest the Songwriters Hall of Fame announced on Wednesday. Willis was most renowned for writing the theme song for the 90s sitcom Friends.
The song was called I’ll be there for you and was performed by The Rembrandts. Willis got an Emmy nomination for the song however she was not able to win, losing to the theme of Star Trek: the Voyager.
Willis also worked on the Beverly Hills Cop original soundtrack for which she won a Grammy for best soundtrack album background score from a motion picture or television in 1986.
She had also collaborated frequently with 70s soul and funk band Earth, Wind & Fire, writing Boogie Wonderland and September. Earth, Wind & Fire paid tribute to the late songwriter in a Twitter post.
Allee Willis was a one-of-a-kind creative genius. Her love, spirit and artistry are forever woven into the fabric and legacy of Earth, Wind & Fire.
— Earth, Wind & Fire (@EarthWindFire) December 25, 2019
She will be sorely missed.
Rest in Love
(pictured here with our Maurice White) pic.twitter.com/wiEEqC4xqc
"Allee Willis was a one-of-a-kind creative genius. Her love, spirit and artistry are forever woven into the fabric and legacy of Earth, Wind & Fire. She will be sorely missed. Rest in Love" the post read.
Willis was a prolific songwriter who had worked on a plethora of projects. She was the first woman and the fifth person across the glove to have written for two Broadway shows opening in the same season.
Willis was 72 at the time of her death. The cause is yet to be determined. The artist is survived by her brother Kent Willis,sister, Marlin Frost, and niece, Mandy Becker.
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