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Oscar-winning Songwriter and Lyricist Leslie Bricusse Dies Aged 90

British composer Leslie Bricusse has sadly passed away aged 90. His illustrious career spanned over 60 years and credits include penning the theme songs for the James Bond classics Goldfinger and You Only Live Twice, composing the scores of Dr Dolittle (1967) and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971) and writing the lyrics for the musical Victor/Victoria (1982).

It was Edward Kassner who gave Bricusse his first break in 1955, signing him to a publishing deal that brought music from the 1956 film Charley Moon and the 1958 West End show Lady At The Wheel to the Kassner Music catalogue.

We are proud to represent a range of Bricusse’s early successes including the Ivor Novello nominated UK Top 20 hit “Out of Town” by Max Bygraves (from Charley Moon), “Love Is” by Alma Cogan (from Lady at the Wheel), “A Boy Without a Girl” by Anthony Newley and “Roundabout” by Dickie Valentine.

Throughout his life, Bricusse received two Oscars (with an additional eight nominations), a Grammy Award (out of a total of nine nominations), four Tony Award nominations and eight prestigious Ivor Novello Awards. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1989 and presented with a Kennedy Award for consistent excellence in songwriting by the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors later that year. In 2001, Bricusse was appointed OBE for his services to the film industry and the theatre, and published an autobiography, ‘Pure Imagination’, in 2005.

Listen to our playlist of Leslie Bricusse highlights, represented by Kassner Music, via our Spotlight playlist.