The lyric writing side of the Alan and Marilyn Bergman songwriting team Alan Bergman died July 17, 2025 at the age of 99 in his Los Angeles home.  A statement issued announcing his death also noted that he has had some respiratory issues in recent months.

Bergman’s wife Marilyn died in 2022. 

Over the years, the Bergmans collaborated with numerous artists including Marvin Hamlisch, Quincy Jones, Michel Legrand, and Cy Coleman. 

Very prolific songwriters, the Bergmans wrote for film and television and had their songs recorded by some of the biggest names in music including Frank Sinatra, Michael Jackson, Tony Bennett, Barbra Streisand – who also was a collaborator -, Neil Diamond, and Ray Charles.

The Bergmans made their Broadway debut in 1964 with “Something More!”.  From there they also created music for “Ballroom”, Andre’ DeShields’ “Haarlem Nocturne”, “Street Corner Symphony”, “Come Fly Away”, and “A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical”.

And in Hollywood, their numerous credit include the theme songs from “Maude”, “Bracken’s World”, “Funny Face”, “The Sandy Duncan Show”, “The Nancy Walker Show”, “Co-ed Fever”, “Good Times”, “Alice”, “The Powers that Be”, “Brooklyn Bridge”, and “In the Heat of the Night”.

Their film credits include “The Happy Ending”, “Sybil”, and “Yentl”.

Over the course of their career, the Bergmans won three Academy Awards, two Grammys, four Emmys, and is a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

He was born on September 11, 1925 in Brooklyn, New York. Young Alan knew what he wanted to do with his life from a very early age and guided his life to that goal including majoring in music and theater at the University of North Carolina and a masters degree at the University of California at Los Angeles.  It was there that he met songwriting legend Johnny Mercer. 

While they grew up in the same neighbourhood, it was in California where Bergman met Marilyn and the duo became songwriting partners in 1956 before they were married in 1958.

A couple in life and music, they were so attuned to each other that they could literally finish each other’s thoughts.

Predeceased by his wife of over 60 years Marilyn, Alan Bergman is survived by his daughter Julie and a granddaughter.

feature photo credit: Alan Bergman (32841814308).jpgmWash. D.C. 1996

John Mathew Smith & www.celebrity-photos.com from Laurel Maryland, USA