Burt Bacharach dies aged 94

Burt Bacharach, the popular composer and Oscar winner who delighted millions with the quirky arrangements and unforgettable melodies of "Walk on By," "I Say a Little Prayer" and dozens of other hits, has died at 94.

Bacharach died Wednesday at home in Los Angeles of natural causes, publicist Tina Brausam said Thursday.

He had a run of top 10 hits from the 1950s into the 21st century, including "Alfie," "Do You Know the Way to San Jose," "I'll Never Fall in Love Again" and "This Guy's in Love with You."

Bacharach, usually in tandem with lyricist Hal David, also created prime material for Aretha Franklin, Dusty Springfield, Tom Jones and many others.

Elvis Presley, the Beatles and Frank Sinatra were among the countless artists who covered his songs, with more recent performers who sung or sampled him including White Stripes, Twista and Ashanti. "Walk On By" alone was covered by everyone from Warwick and Isaac Hayes to the British punk band the Stranglers and Cyndi Lauper.

He was an eight-time Grammy winner, a prize-winning Broadway composer for "Promises, Promises" and a three-time Oscar winner. He received two Academy Awards in 1970, for the score of "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" and for the song "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head" (shared with David).

In 1982, he and his then-wife, lyricist Carole Bayer Sager, won Oscars for "Best That You Can Do," the theme from "Arthur. His other movie soundtracks included "What's New, Pussycat?", "Alfie" and the 1967 James Bond spoof "Casino Royale."

Bacharach was a frequent guest at the White House, whether the president was Republican or Democrat, and in 2012, was presented the Gershwin Prize by Barack Obama, who had sung a few seconds of "Walk on By" during a campaign appearance.

He was born in Kansas City, Missouri, but soon moved to New York City. His father was a syndicated columnist, his mother a pianist who encouraged the boy to study music.

Although he was more interested in sports, he practiced piano every day after school, not wanting to disappoint his mother. While still a minor, he would sneak into jazz clubs, bearing a fake ID, and hear such greats as Dizzy Gillespie and Count Basie.

"They were just so incredibly exciting that all of a sudden, I got into music in a way I never had before," he recalled in the memoir "Anyone Who Had a Heart," published in 2013. "What I heard in those clubs turned my head around."

Bacharach was essentially a pop composer, but his songs became hits for country artists (Marty Robbins), rhythm and blues performers (Chuck Jackson), soul (Franklin, Luther Vandross) and synth-pop (Naked Eyes). He reached a new generation of listeners in the 1990s with the help of Costello and others.

Mike Myers would recall hearing the sultry "The Look of Love" on the radio and finding fast inspiration for his "Austin Powers" retro spy comedies, in which Bacharach made cameos.

In the 21st century, he was still testing new ground, writing his own lyrics and recording with rapper Dr. Dre.

He was married to his first wife, Paula Stewart, from 1953-58, and married for a fourth time, to Jane Hansen, in 1993. He is survived by Hansen, as well as his children Oliver, Raleigh and Cristopher, Brausam said. He was preceded in death by his daughter with Dickinson, Nikki Bacharach.