LOS ANGELES — Allee Willis, a songwriter whose work included the Broadway musical “The Color Purple” in addition to the theme track from the TV present “Friends” and Earth, Wind & Fire’s “September,” has died. She was 72.
The explanation for demise Tuesday was a cardiac occasion, her publicist, Ellyn Solis, instructed The New York Times.
The Times didn’t specify the place she died, although she had been residing in Los Angeles. The Associated Press couldn’t instantly attain Solis.
Willis was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2018 — greater than 30 years after she received a Grammy for co-writing Patti LaBelle’s “Stir It Up” for the soundtrack of “Beverly Hills Cop.”
She was nominated for however didn’t win, Grammy and Tony awards for co-writing the music for “The Color Purple.”
She was additionally nominated for an Emmy for the “Friends” theme track, “I’ll Be There for You” carried out by the Rembrandts however misplaced to the theme of “Star Trek: Voyager.”
She wrote lots of of different songs, together with items for Ray Charles, Sister Sledge and Cyndi Lauper.
“I, very thankfully, have a few songs that will not go away,” she instructed The Times in 2018, “but they’re schlepping along 900 others.”
Willis grew up in Detroit and was raised on the sounds of Motown, although she by no means realized to play music. She attributes her love for music to visiting Motown studios each weekend whereas rising up.
“I would sit on the lawn,” she instructed The Times. “You could watch everyone come in. But most importantly you could hear through the walls, which is how I became a songwriter.”
She is survived by her companion, Prudence Fenton.