Alan Bergman, one half of the legendary songwriting duo that included his wife Marilyn, died on Thursday at his home in Los Angeles. He was 99.
Over the span of his decades-long career, Bergman wrote the lyrics for “The Way We Were,” “The Windmills of Your Mind,” “In the Heat of the Night,” the TV theme “Alice” and many more. In their careers, the duo also worked with icons like Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra.
Alan Bergman was born in Brooklyn in 1925, ironically in the same time as his future wife, who was born three years later. But, the two didn’t properly meet, begin working together and fall in love until they both moved to Los Angeles in the 1950s.
Bergman got his start as a TV director and songwriter in Philadelphia. Once he moved to California, he met his wife Marilyn through composer Lew Spence. Marilyn Bergman herself died just three years ago, in 2022.
Across their time together, the Bergmans worked with legendary composers including Michel Legrand, Marvin Hamlisch, John Williams, Johnny Mandel, Dave Grusin, Quincy Jones, and more, and received several accolades. Both Alan and Marilyn were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1980.
In total, they notched four Emmys, two Grammys and three Oscars, coming just short of being EGOTs. And those are just the awards they won; they were nominated for dozens more.
The Bergmans are survived by their daughter and granddaughter.
