- Will Jennings, songwriter behind "My Heart Will Go On", dies at 80
- He won numerous awards, including Oscars and Grammys, for his work
- Jennings collaborated with legendary artists and left a lasting legacy in music
Will Jennings, the acclaimed songwriter behind iconic hits like Steve Winwood’s “Higher Love” and Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On,” has passed away at the age of 80. Multiple US media outlets have reported the news, confirming that Jennings died in his Texan home. The Hollywood Reporter noted that the cause of death has not been disclosed.
Jennings, a native of Kilgore, Texas, embarked on his music career in Hollywood in 1976. By 1977, he had teamed up with composer Richard Kerr to write Barry Manilow’s hit “Looks Like We Made It.” The duo later collaborated on “Somewhere in the Night,” another top 10 hit for Manilow.
Throughout his illustrious career, Jennings crafted songs for a roster of legendary artists, including B.B. King, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Jimmy Buffett, and Roy Orbison. His work extended to film soundtracks, earning him significant acclaim.
In 1983, Jennings won his first Academy Award for “Up Where We Belong,” which was written for Taylor Hackford’s film An Officer and a Gentleman. He later won a Grammy Award and received a Golden Globe nomination for “Tears in Heaven,” penned for the film Rush.
Jennings’s most notable achievement came with “My Heart Will Go On,” written for James Cameron’s Titanic. The song earned him an Academy Award, a Golden Globe, and a Grammy Award in 1998. Over his career, Jennings was nominated for a total of six Grammy Awards, winning three.
In 2006, Jennings was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, cementing his legacy in the music industry.
Singer Peter Wolf paid tribute to Jennings on social media, describing him as “a maestro, brilliant mind and a gentle spirit.” Wolf reflected on their years of collaboration, saying, “Will shared his talents with me, ever patient and generous; he was a treasured friend and teacher, enriching my life in so many ways. It was an enormous honour to have worked with such a musical genius for so many years… To quote one of his favourite poets, W.B. Yeats, ‘Think where man’s glory most begins and ends, and say my glory was I had such friends.'”
