Will Jennings, Oscar-Winning Lyricist, Dies at 80

Lyricist Will Jennings Passes Away at 80

The well-known lyricist who helped create hits for Celine Dion, Eric Clapton, and Whitney Houston has died at his home in Texas.

His caretaker shared with The Hollywood Reporter that Jennings passed away on Friday, although the exact cause of death remains unknown.

Peter Wolf, once a singer with J. Geils Band, shared on Twitter, “A sad time, the passing of Will Jennings, a maestro, brilliant mind and a gentle spirit. It was an enormous honor to have worked with such a musical genius.”

Jennings, a Songwriter’s Hall of Fame member, won two Oscars for Best Original Song. He co-wrote "Up Where We Belong" from An Officer and a Gentleman and "My Heart Will Go On" from Titanic with James Horner.

He also got two Grammy Awards for "My Heart Will Go On," which won Song of the Year and Record of the Year. Another Grammy win came with "Tears in Heaven," a song he wrote with Clapton about Clapton’s son.

Jennings had several Number One songs, including “Higher Love” and “Roll With It” with Steve Winwood. Other big hits were Barry Manilow’s “Looks Like We Made It” and Whitney Houston’s “Didn’t We Almost Have It All.”

Fans are really going to miss his music.

He also wrote songs with many artists like Jimmy Buffett, Roy Orbison, Mariah Carey, Laura Branigan, and Dionne Warwick.

A truly remarkable career came to an end.