Will Jennings, the Oscar-winning songwriter of songs like “My Heart Will Go On,” “Tears in Heaven” and “Up Where We Belong,” has died at the age of 80.
The news was confirmed by his caregiver Martha Sherrod, who told The Hollywood Reporter that he died on Friday (September 6) at his home in Tyler, Texas. His health had been declining for five years.
Jennings has won three Grammy Awards, two Golden Globes and two Oscars, the latter for Celine Dion’s signature song for Titanic in 1997, and “Up Where We Belong”, recorded by Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes for An Officer and a Gentleman in 1982. Wilbur Hershel Jennings was born on June 27, 1944, in Kilgore, Texas, and after attending Austin State University, he made his first foray into the entertainment industry at mid 1970s.
Some of his early success came from co-writing with songwriter Richard Kerr, including numerous hits for Barry Manilow, including “Looks Like We Made It” and “Somewhere In The Night.” He found his calling writing film scripts, earning his first Oscar nomination for “People Alone,” from Richard Dreyfuss’ 1980 drama The Competition, which he co-wrote with Lalo Schifrin.
“Up Where We Belong” earned him his first Oscar, alongside Jack Nitzsche and Buffy Sainte-Marie, and from there, Jennings became in demand as a songwriter, writing for artists such as Roy Orbison, Mariah Carey , Whitney Houston, B.B. King and Diana Ross.
In the early 1990s, he wrote “Tears In Heaven” with Eric Clapton for the film Rush, before teaming up with James Horner for “My Heart Will Go On”, which remains one of the best-selling singles of the band all the time.
Jennings and Horner reunited on “Where Are You Christmas?” “, from the Jim Carrey film How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and “All Love Can Be”, for A Beautiful Mind.
Jennings was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2006. He is survived by his wife Carole and his sisters Joyce and Gloria.