Leslie Bricusse: 'Lyrical genius' of film dies aged 90
BBC
News
October
20, 2021
Leslie Bricusse, the prolific
British songwriter behind many of cinema's biggest hits such as Candyman and
Goldfinger, has died at the age of 90.
His friend Dame Joan
Collins described him as "one of the giant songwriters of our time".
Petula Clark, who sang You
and I from 1968's Goodbye Mr Chips, told BBC Radio 4 he was
"extraordinary".
Bricusse's career spanned
60 years with other credits including Talk to the Animals from Doctor Dolittle.
He also wrote Candyman and
Pure Imagination from the 1971 film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.
Stage impresario Andrew Lloyd Webber released a statement, calling Bricusse "the most underestimated British songwriter of all time".
John Berlinsgame from
Variety told the Today programme that Bricusse was "not only an artist but
a lyrical genius".
In his six decade career,
he was constantly writing and had a catalogue of more than 1,000 songs to his
name.
He wrote the lyrics to
Shirley Bassey's classic Goldfinger, one of the most memorable Bond theme
tunes, with long-time collaborator Antony Newley.
Bricusse also wrote the
lyrics to You Only Live Twice, sung by Nancy Sinatra.
Other collaborations with Newley, Dame Joan's former husband, included Feeling Good, made famous by Nina Simone.
Bricusse's agent confirmed
the songwriter's death "with a breaking heart", saying he died in his
sleep on Tuesday morning. He had been married to actress Yvonne Romain for more
than 60 years.
Dame Joan said: "One
of the giant songwriters of our time, writer of Candyman, Goldfinger amongst so
many other hits, and my great friend Leslie Bricusse has sadly died today.
"He and his beautiful
Evie have been in my life for over 50 years. I will miss him terribly, as will
his many friends."
Film expert Berlinsgame
told the Today programme: "He would be clever, very witty but also
heartfelt and emotional."
Vocalist and actress Clark also told Today: "He was a dear friend who I've known for many years. He wrote all the time, never stopped. I will miss him… he was extraordinary, I'm just beside myself."
Stage star Elaine Paige
said on Twitter: "Shocked & saddened by the news that the brilliant
& wonderful Leslie Bricusse has died.
"One of our great songwriters. My first ever professional role was in Roar of the Greasepaint musical [for which Bricusse wrote Feeling Good]. We've been friends for many years."
Awards
glory
Born in Pinner, north
west London, Bricusse and Newley's fruitful partnership saw them write 1961
musical Stop the World I Want to Get Off and the 1971 film Willy Wonka and the
Chocolate Factory, based on Roald Dahl's popular children's book.
David Walliams paid
tribute to Bricusse's songwriting saying on Twitter: "The great Gene Wilder
sings Leslie Bricusse's magical Pure Imagination from Willy Wonka and the
Chocolate Factory. It is so beautiful it makes me weep."
Bricusse also wrote
many other musicals including Scrooge and Hook, the latter with Hollywood
composer John Williams.
Sometimes working under the pseudonym Beverley Thorn, he co-wrote skiffle singer Lonnie Donegan's 1960 hit My Old Man's a Dustman (Ballad of a Refuse Disposal Officer).
But it was Bricusse's
contribution to musicals that defined his career. This included two Oscars for
his work. Talk to the Animals won best original song in 1968, while
Victor/Victoria - which he wrote with Henry Mancini - won best original song
score or adaptation in 1983.
He won a Grammy in 1963,
which he shared with Newley, for the song What Kind of Fool Am I? from Stop the
World I Want to Get Off.
Asked in 2015 how he felt about winning his
Academy Awards, he said: "The Oscars are brilliant. If the whole world was
run by the Oscar committee it would be a much better place.
"I have nothing but
admiration for them. I'm playing par - I'm 10 nominations and two wins. So if
you reckon you win one in five, I'm on par," he said.
Also in 2015, he staged Pure Imagination - The Songs of Leslie Bricusse, a musical revue reflecting on his vast back catalogue.
The composer and lyricist
was said to be adamant that his musical theatre scores should be sung
traditionally, rather than jazzed up to suit a particular producer's whims.
Presenter and former
musical theatre star Philip Schofield said: "I'm so sad to hear of the
death of my friend, the brilliant Leslie Bricusse whose songs I loved singing
in Dr Dolittle. My love to his family."
Bricusse described himself
in his book Pure Imagination: A Sorta-biography as "one of the luckiest
people I know, second only perhaps to Ringo Starr".
"It's not really an
autobiography. It's about incidents rather than my entire life, and it's about
other people as much as me. I just put down the things I remembered!"
Bricusse stated at the
outset of one of his early chapters that he would be dropping names "like
fragrant rose petals".
The book was interspersed with anecdotes and quotes from some of his famous friends, including Dame Julie Andrews, Sir Elton John and Sir Michael Caine.
No comments:
Post a Comment