'Walk On By' Lyricist Hal David Dies Aged 91

Hal David, the lyricist who teamed up with Burt Bacharach on dozens of songs for movies, television and a variety of recording artists, has died at the age of 91.

Bacharach and David were among the most successful teams in modern history, with top 40 hits including Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head, Walk On By and I Say A Little Prayer.

Although most associated with Dionne Warwick, their music was recorded by many of the top acts in the 1960s and beyond, from the Beatles to Aretha Franklin.

David died of complications from a stroke on Saturday morning at Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre in Los Angeles, according to his wife Eunice.

He suffered a major stroke in March and was stricken again last Tuesday, she said.

Mrs David said: "Even at the end, Hal always had a song in his head.

"He was always writing notes, or asking me to take a note down, so he wouldn't forget a lyric."

In May, Bacharach and David received the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song during a White House tribute concert attended by President Barack Obama.

The two met when they both worked in the Brill Building, New York's legendary Tin Pan Alley song factory.

They scored their first big hit with Magic Moments, a million-selling record for Perry Como.

Born in New York City, David had attended public schools before studying journalism at New York University.

He served in the army during World War II, mostly as a member of an entertainment unit in the South Pacific.

After the war, he worked as a copywriter at the New York Post, but music was his passion and he had written lyrics for Sammy Kaye, Guy Lombardo and other bandleaders before hooking up with Bacharach.

He married Anne Rauchman in 1947 and the couple had two sons. He was later married to Eunice David for 25 years.