Alan Bergman, the Oscar-winning lyricist known for his decades-long partnership with his wife Marilyn Bergman, died Thursday night at the age of 99. According to The Hollywood Reporter, he passed away from natural causes at his Los Angeles home, as confirmed by his daughter, producer Julie Bergman Sender.
Together, Alan and Marilyn Bergman formed one of the most successful songwriting teams in film history. Their lyrical collaborations spanned more than 50 years and included timeless classics such as “The Way We Were,” “The Windmills of Your Mind,” and “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers.” Marilyn Bergman died in January 2022 at the age of 93.
The Bergmans were frequent collaborators with Barbra Streisand, composer Michel Legrand, and Marvin Hamlisch. They earned three Academy Awards: for “The Way We Were” (1973), “The Windmills of Your Mind” (1968), and the score for Yentl (1983). They were also nominated 16 times across their careers, earning recognition for songs featured in The Thomas Crown Affair, Same Time, Next Year, The Happy Ending, and Sometimes a Great Notion, among others.
Their influence extended to television as well, writing theme songs for shows such as Maude, Good Times, Alice, and Brooklyn Bridge. The duo also received three Emmy Awards and were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1980.
Alan was born in Brooklyn on September 11, 1925, and served in World War II before pursuing music and theater at the University of North Carolina and later UCLA. Early in his career, he worked as a TV director at CBS in Philadelphia, where he met legendary songwriter Johnny Mercer, who encouraged him to write lyrics.
Alan and Marilyn met in 1956, marrying two years later. Their first collaborations included work with Fred Astaire, Dean Martin, and Frank Sinatra. In addition to his daughter Julie, Alan Bergman is survived by his granddaughter, Emily.
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