Allee Willis.Photo: Maryanne Bilham Photography/Redferns
Allee Willis, a songwriter who has written hits for musical acts like Earth, Wind & Fire,James BrownandPatti LaBelle, has died at 72.
Willis died after suffering cardiac arrest in Los Angeles, reportsVariety. Her sudden death left partner Prudence Fenton in “total shock,” according to the outlet. On Instagram, Fenton posted asnapshotof Willis, captioning the photo, “Rest In Boogie Wonderland.”
The news of the artist’s passing was confirmed on her personal Instagram page, where a spokespersonwrote, “We are extremely shocked and devastated to share this news.”
Among her other accolades areGrammyandTonynominations for her musical contributions to the Broadway adaptation ofThe Color Purple, as well as a Grammy win for her soundtrack entries for the 1984 filmBeverly Hills Cop.
Allee Willis.Bruce Glikas/FilmMagic
Willis grew up in Detroit, where the city’s Motown roots inspired her to pursue music as a career. She graduated with a journalism degree from the University of Wisconsin before landing a job at Columbia and Epic Records in New York City where her songwriting career began to take shape.
According to herofficial bio, she never learned to read, notate or play music, even though she led a successful career in the music business.
Willis has turned in songs like Earth, Wind & Fire’s “September” and “Boogie Wonderland,” and LaBelle’s “Lead Me On,” but it was her Friends music that seemed to always bring her the most notoriety.
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Speaking on the unlikely success of the theme song, Willis toldSongfactsthat it showed just how wide-ranging her musical talent was.
“It was the last thing I ever thought would be a hit — the whitest song I ever wrote,” she joked to the outlet in 2008. “I’m very, very grateful for it, and when they were promotingThe Color Purple, all of these newspaper reviews … I mean, here I’ve written for Earth, Wind & Fire, I’ve written with James Brown, and the only song they would ever mention that I wrote is thisFriendstheme. Could any song prepare you less to writeThe Color Purple?”
She added: “But I actually loved it, because it’s that incongruity that I cherish the most in what I do.”
Paul Reubens and Allee Willis, 1982.Alan Berliner/BEI/Shutterstock
Willis was an artist across many media, according to herofficial website, as she also dabbled in works as a painter, stand-up comedian, director and memorabilia collector.
In 2018, Willis was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, at which time she reflected on her career to theNew York Times, as well as shared her upcoming goals, in a profile from the newspaper.
“I want to do more things that involve everything I do: the music, the art, the technology, the social aspect of things,” said Willis at the time. “I want to be able to move quicker, so no more huge, self-funded projects.”
She added: “Life is too short, and I am too tired!”
source: people.com
