Songwriter Allee Willis, who was the brilliant musical mind behind generations of memorable hits, has died at age 72.
Willis suffered a fatal heart attack on Christmas Eve and her partner Prudence Fentron shared the tragic news with a photo on Instagram.
“Rest In Boogie Wonderland,” the caption said alongside the photo of Willis standing in front of the iconic Motown sign in Detroit, Michigan
One of Willis’ most notable hits was the upbeat riff and chart-dominating “Friends” theme song, “I’ll Be There For You,” which was recorded by the pop duo The Rembrandts.
Willis won a Grammy Award for the Patti Labelle hit “Stir It Up,” and wrote the iconic Earth, Wind and Fire jam “September,” as well as Taylor Dane’s “Tell it To My Heart.”
Tributes have poured in for the eccentric, creative genius from her friends and fans around the music world.
The Pointer Sisters, who sang Willis’ hit “Neutron Dance,” tweeted their “Gratitude & respect for her work & fun, festive & artistic personality.”
