Will Jennings, Oscar-winning lyricist of ‘My Heart Will Go On’ and ‘Tears in Heaven,’ dies at 80
As a long-time aficionado of timeless melodies and moving lyrics, I can wholeheartedly say that Will Jennings leaves behind an indelible legacy in the world of music. A Texas native who made his mark on the global stage, Jennings’ songs have graced the airwaves for decades, touching hearts and stirring emotions like few others could.
Will Jennings, the two-time Oscar-winning lyricist of “My Heart Will Go On,” “Up Where We Belong” and “Tears in Heaven,” has died. He was 80.
On Friday, the report came that the songwriter passed away at his residence in Tyler, Texas. This was affirmed by his agent Sam Schwartz from the Gorfaine/Schwartz Agency to The Times. In an email, he expressed, “May his memory be a source of blessing,” speaking about Jennings. No information regarding the cause of his demise was made public.
Born in Texas, Jennings – who was honored with induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2006 – has penned hits that have been sung by artists like Dionne Warwick, Jimmy Buffett, Rodney Crowell, Peter Wolf, Mariah Carey, Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, and Diana Ross, among others.
Among his popular hits are songs like “Didn’t We Nearly Reach Everything, All Right?” (Whitney Houston), “It Seems Like We’ve Reached Our Goal” (Barry Manilow), “Rising Above” (Steve Winwood), and “Heaven’s Tears” (Eric Clapton). The latter won him the Grammy for song of the year, marking his first of three Grammys.
Wolf expressed grief over the demise of Will Jennings, a remarkable artist, insightful thinker, and kind soul, in a social media post. He considered it a great privilege to have collaborated with such a musical prodigy.
Jennings received Academy Awards for two songs: “Up Where We Belong,” co-written with Jack Nitzsche and Buffy Sainte-Marie, which was sung by Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes in the movie “An Officer and a Gentleman”; and “My Heart Will Go On,” written with James Horner and sung by Celine Dion for the film “Titanic.
In 2015, Times pop music critic Mikael Wood described “My Heart Will Go On” as compressing the film’s grand melodrama into five memorable minutes filled with grandiose, pseudo-Celtic splendor. He also noted that the song firmly established Celine Dion as one of music’s most consistent (and unashamed) emotional performers.
In addition to “Where Are You Christmas?” from the film “How the Grinch Stole Christmas!”, and “One Day I’ll Fly Away” from “Moulin Rouge!”, Jennings was also involved in composing “Up Where We Belong”.
Christopher Cross expressed deep sorrow upon hearing about the death of his friend and colleague, Will Jennings. In his post on X, he mentioned that collaborating with Will was like a masterclass in lyric writing for him. He considered Will as the ultimate wordsmith, and the impact of his work lives forever.
Diane Warren expressed that the affection for your exceptional tunes will last eternally on X. ‘Keep writing with strength,’ was signed by Will Jennings.
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2024-09-09 01:31