Hall of Fame Songwriter Cynthia Weil has died June 1, 2023 in her Beverly Hills home at the age of 82. Daughter Jenn reported that Weil was surrounded by family but gave no cause of death.
Along with her husband Barry Mann, the duo produced an impressive catalogue of music that has garnered numerous awards and has been recorded by hundreds of artists over the years. Their plethora of songs included “On Broadway”, “Walking in the Rain”, “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’”, “We Gotta Get out of This Place”, “(You’re My) Soul and Inspiration”, “Make Your Own Kind of Music”, and “Here You Come Again”.
The two time Grammy Award winning songwriter is a Johnny Mercer winner, Golden Globe, Academy, and a member of the Songwriters and Rock and Roll Halls of Fame. Weil and Mann have been honoured by BMI – Broadcast Music Inc ove 100 times. Other achievements include the Lifetime Achievement Awards from the National Academy of Songwriters, the Clooney Foundation’s Award for Legendary Song Composition, and BMI’s Robert Burton Award for most performed country song of 1977 – “Here You Come Again” sung by Dolly Parton.
She was born in New York City on October 18, 1940 the daughter of Eastern European Jewish immigrants. Before becoming an award winning songwriter she was an actress, singer, and dancer. Her songwriting career began with Fran Loesser at Tin Pan Alley. Signing on with Al Nevins and Don Kirshner, Weil moved from Tin Pan Alley to rock and roll. She met Barry Mann in 1961 and the pairing became a life long partnership in music and life.
She also paired up with Lionel Richie, Peabo Bryson, The Pointer Sisters, Chaka Khan, David Foster, and even Kanye West to write some songs.
As a part of the new millennium, BMI compiled a list of the “Top 100 Songs of the Century” – the most played songs on American radio and TV. Made famous by The Righteous Brothers “You’ve Lost that Lovin’ Feelin’” topped the list with 14 million plays.
Weil is survived by her husband of over 60 years – Barry Mann, daughter Jenn, and granddaughter Quincy and Mendez.
Over the course of their career, Cynthia Weil and Barry Mann penned thousands of songs that have been recorded by some of the biggest names in music, many of them several times over, including:
Dionne Warwick
Del Shannon
Chubby Checker
Darlene Love
Kool and the Gang
Mary Wilson
Linda Ronstadt
George Benson
Dolly Parton
Christina Perri
The Animals
The Drifters
Ace Frehley
Tony Orlando
The Knack
BJ Thomas
Dusty Springfield
Phil Spector
Liza Mennelli
Jim Brickman
Barry Manilow
Deniece Williams
Sting
Sir Tom Jones
Annette Funicello
Josh Groban
Gladys Knight
Andy Williams
Lesley Gore
Conway Twitty
Sergio Mendes
Lionel Richie
The Oak Ridge Boys
Debby Boone
Bobby Darin
Wilson Pickett
Engelbert Humperdinck
Hanson
The Pointer Sisters
Neil Young
The Mamas & the Papas
Elvis Presley
The Monkees
Air Supply
Ray Charles
Eddy Arnold
Susan Boyle
Jessie J
Bette Midler
Edgar and Johnny Winter
James Galway
Blood, Sweat & Tears
Frankie Valli
Ronnie Spector
Micky Dolenz
Glen Campbell
The Righteous Brothers
The Partridge Family
Donny Hathaway
The Beach Boys
The Beatles
Donny & Marie Osmond
Sonny & Cher
Sheena Easton
Carole King
Martina McBride
Alice Cooper
James Taylor
Nina Simone
Quincy Jones
David Foster
Paul Revere & the Raiders
Michael Bolton
Daryl Hall & John Oates
Kenny Rogers
Helen Reddy
The Lettermen
Sir Cliff Richard
The Everly Brothers
Three Dog Night
Lou Rawls
Kanye West
Widespread Panic
Sammy Davis Jr
Barbara Streisand
Peabo Bryson
Wayne Newton
Cyndi Lauper
David Cassidy
Sir Rod Stewart
Billy Preston
Celine Dion
Lynyrd Skynyrd
Christopher Cross
Johnny Mathis
John Mellencamp
Hiroshima
The Rolling Stones
Buddy Holly
The Jackson 5
Neil Diamond
Kenny Loggins
Paul Anka
Frank Sinatra
Tina Turner
Etta James
Ronnie MIlsap
Smokey Robinson
Billy Porter
RIhanna
Feature photo credit: Cynthia Weil – HWOFDec2012.jpg