Marvin Hamlisch : Passes away at age 68

[Borderstone]

Marvin Hamlisch, the composer and conductor best known for the torch song "The Way We Were," died in Los Angeles Monday. He was 68 years old.

Hamlisch collapsed after a brief illness, his family announced.

In a career that spanned over four decades, Hamlisch won virtually every major award: three Oscars, four Grammys, four Emmys, a Tony, and three Golden Globes.

Hamlisch composed music for more than 40 motion picture, including his Oscar-winning score and song for “The Way We Were,” and his adaptation of Scott Joplin’s ragtime music for “The Sting,” for which he received a third Oscar. He was also given the BEst New Artist Award in 1974 at the Grammy's based on his interpretation of "The Entertainer" from the 1973 movie "The Sting". (Some stated then there were more deserving artists at the time)

His musical scores, though intricately conceived, never drew attention to themselves. They served to complement the on-screen action, not overwhelm it -- enhancing each gesture, each glance, each moment of drama.

That subtle approach allowed him to be something of a musical chameleon, easily gliding from searing dramas to off-beat comedies and making him a close collaborator to a diverse group of directors, such as Woody Allen, Steven Soderbergh and Alan J. Pakula. He would even write a James Bond theme, the sexy and stirring "Nobody Does it Better" sung by Carly Simon over the opening credits to 1977's "The Spy Who Loved Me."

Perhaps his greatest collaboration was with Barbra Streisand, for whom he penned the signature love anthem "The Way We Were." He wrote the score for her 1996 film, "The Mirror Has Two Faces." He also served as musical director and arranger of Streisand’s 1994 concert tour and the television special, "Barbra Streisand: The Concert," for which he won two Emmys.

Also read: Barbra Streisand Remembers Marvin Hamlisch: 'A Beautiful Human Being'

In a 2010 interview with Broadway World, Hamlisch said he drew on the lovelorn masterpiece "My Funny Valentine" to write the theme song to "The Way We Were" because he wanted to capture the highs and lows of romance.


RIP Marvin. Your musical talent keenly defined many, very wonderful ,movies.