Legendary songwriter Cynthia Weil passed away on Wednesday (June 1). She was 82.
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Weil’s death was confirmed on her and her husband Barry Mann’s Instagram page on Friday (June 2). “Cynthia Weil’s Grammy award winning lyrics touched the hearts and souls of hundreds of millions of people around the world making her one of the most iconic songwriters of the 20th century,” the post stated.
Born and raised in New York City, Weil would go on to become one of the most prolific songwriters of her generation. Upon marrying Mann in 1961, the two became the songwriting duo behind such timeless hits as the Animals’ “We Gotta Get Out of This Place,” which became an anthem for U.S. Army members during the Vietnam War; the Grammy-winning and Academy Award-nominated “Somewhere Out There” from the soundtrack for the 1986 animated film, An American Tail; Dolly Parton’s first million-selling single, “Here You Come Again” and the iconic “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling,” which was originally recorded by the Righteous Brothers and has been inducted into the National Recording Registry.
Weil and Mann’s longtime friend and fellow iconic songwriter, Carole King, took to Facebook to express condolences over the loss of Weil. “We lost the beautiful, brilliant lyricist Cynthia Weil Mann,” King begins. She adds that she and her then-husband and lyricist partner Gerry Goffin met Weil and Mann at a dinner event in 1962.
“The four of us were close, caring friends despite our fierce competition to write the next hit for an artist with a #1 song,” she continues. “Cynthia’s high professional standard made us all better songwriters…May the legacy of lyrics by Cynthia Weil continue to speak to and for generations to come. Rest in peace with love and gratitude.”
Weil and Mann were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1987 and received the prestigious Johnny Mercer Award from the organization in 2011. She and her husband also received the Ahmet Ertegun Award from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, making her the first woman to do so.
Weil is survived by her husband, daughter and psychotherapist Dr. Jenn Mann, and granddaughters Quinn and Mendez.
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