Leslie Bricusse, the celebrated musician whose work is featured in some of Hollywood’s most iconic films, died Tuesday at age 90.
A cause of death was not revealed for the Oscar- and Grammy-winning artist, whose death was announced by his son, Adam Bricusse.
“Please raise a glass for him,” his son wrote in a Facebook post.
Bricusse famously wrote the score for “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory,” which starred Gene Wilder as the titular eccentric chocolatier. Bricusse co-wrote the 1971 film’s standout hits “Pure Imagination” and “The Candy Man” with Anthony Newley.
The London-born Bricusse also teamed up with Newley to pen the lyrics for the theme of the 1964 James Bond movie “Goldfinger,” which remains among the most popular films in the 007 series.
Bricusse later wrote the words for another classic Bond theme, 1967′s “You Only Live Twice.” John Barry wrote the music for both the “Goldfinger” and “You Only Live Twice” songs.
Bricusse was both the composer and screenwriter for the 1967 adaptation of “Doctor Doolittle,” which starred Rex Harrison in the main role.
A song from that movie, “Talk to the Animals,” won best original song at the 1968 Academy Awards, giving Bricusse the first of his two Oscars. His second came in 1982 for “Victor/Victoria,” which won the award for best original score.
Overall, Bricusse — who was married to actress Yvonne Romain — was a 10-time Oscar nominee, and he also won the Grammy for song of the year with “What Kind of Fool Am I?” in 1963.
“What Kind of Fool Am I?” appeared in the 1961 stage musical “Stop the World – I Want to Get Off,” which Bricusse wrote with Newley.
Bricusse was a five-time Tony Awards nominee, with his other popular stage musicals including “Jekyll & Hyde,” which he wrote the book for.
He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1989.
