Leslie Bricusse, the Oscar-winning songwriter of the theme from Goldfinger and songs for Dr. Dolittle and Willy Wonka, has died.
Leslie Bricusse, Oscar- and Grammy-winning songwriter whose songs for Broadway and Hollywood include “What Kind of Fool Am I?” and “Pure Imagination,” died Tuesday in Saint-Paul-de-Vence, France. He was 90. Bricusse wrote the lyrics for James Bond theme songs “Goldfinger” and “You Only Live Twice,” as well as songs for movies including “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory,” including “The Candy Man,” “Scrooge,” “Hook,” “Doctor Dolittle” and “Superman.” His close friend, Dame Joan Collins, announced the death on Instagram this morning, calling him “one of the giant songwriters of our time.” Bricusse’s son Adam also announced it on Facebook; neither indicated a cause of death. Over seven decades, the London-born writer-composer was in demand for his clever, witty and tuneful songs, sometimes in collaboration with others (notably Anthony Newley in London, Henry Mancini and John Williams in Los Angeles) and sometimes serving as both lyricist and composer. He won the 1967 best song Oscar for “Talk to the Animals,” from the Fox musical “Doctor Dolittle,” and the 1982 song-score Oscar for the musical “Victor / Victoria,” written with Mancini. His Grammy was for song of the year in 1963, “What Kind of Fool Am I,” written with Newley for the West End musical “Stop the World – I Want to Get Off.” The Bricusse-Newley song score for “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” was Oscar-nominated in 1971, but curiously not for its best-known tunes, the Gene Wilder-sung “Pure Imagination,” now among the most familiar and beloved songs of its time.
