Hal David, legendary pop songwriter, passes away at 91

Hal David, legendary songwriting lyricist, has passed away at the age of 91. He was best known for his collaborations with Burt Bacharach.

The honors are endless: Academy Award, Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, Grammy Hall of Fame, Grammy Awards, Tony Award nomination...

“Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on my Head,” “This Guy’s in Love With You,” and “I'll Never Fall in Love Again,” are just three of the hits in a string of standards written by Academy Award-winning lyricist Hal David. “Raindrops,” which was in the movie Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, garnered an Oscar, “Don’t Make Me Over,” “Close to You” and “Walk on By&lrquo; are all in the Grammy Hall of Fame.

“What The World Needs Now is Love” was proclaimed “The Towering Song” by the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2004, distinguished by its unforgettable melody and prayerful plain-spoken words that sound utterly contemporary today when conflict is so wide-spread around the world, even though it was written in 1965.

In addition, “What's New Pussycat,” "Alfie,” and "The Look of Love" received Oscar nominations.

Amongst Hal David's million-sellers are such standards as "Do You Know the Way to San Jose,” “Walk on By,” “What The World Needs Now is Love,” “I Say a Little Prayer,” “(There’s) Always Something There to Remind Me,” “One Less Bell To Answer,” and “To All The Girls I’ve Loved Before”– all of which have become Pop standards.

In addition, "Don't Make Me Over", "(They Long to Be) Close to You", and "Walk On By" have been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

David and Bacharach were awarded the 2011 Gershwin Prize for Popular Song bestowed by the Library of Congress, the first time a songwriting team was given the honor. David was recuperating from a recent illness and was unable to attend the Washington D.C. presentation ceremony in May 2012.