By Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone
Photo: Will Jennings, Celine Dion | Will Jennings, the two-time Oscar-winning lyricist who co-wrote Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On” along with chart-topping hits by Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood, and Whitney Houston, has died at the age of 80.
Jennings’ caretaker confirmed the songwriter’s death to The Hollywood Reporter, adding that he died Friday at his home in Tyler, Texas. No cause of death was given, but Jennings had health issues in recent years.
Former J. Geils Band singer Peter Wolf, who collaborated with Jennings on a pair of solo albums, tweeted Saturday, “A sad time, the passing of Will Jennings, a maestro, brilliant mind and a gentle spirit. It was an enormous honor to have worked with such a musical genius.”
A Songwriter’s Hall of Fame inductee with a half-dozen Number One hits in his catalog, Jennings was a two-time winner of the Academy Awards’ Best Original Song, first for co-writing “Up Where We Belong” — sung by Joe Cocker and Jennifer Barnes for 1982’s An Officer and a Gentleman — and then for the Titanic smash “My Heart Will Go On,” which he co-wrote with composer James Horner.
“My Heart Will Go On” also earned Jennings his second Song of the Year and Record of the Year at the Grammy Awards; he’d previously won both awards in 1993 for co-writing Eric Clapton’s “Tears in Heaven,” a tribute to the guitarist’s late son that peaked at Number Two on the U.S. singles chart.
The Number One hits co-written by Jennings include a pair of longtime collaborator Steve Winwood classics — “Higher Love” and “Roll With It,” as well as the Top 20 hit “Back in the High Life Again” — as well as Barry Manilow’s “Looks Like We Made It,” Whitney Houston’s “Didn’t We Almost Have It All,” and Tim McGraw’s country chart-topping take on “Please Remember Me,” originally penned for Rodney Crowell.
Jennings also penned songs with artists ranging from Jimmy Buffett, and Roy Orbison to Mariah Carey, Laura Branigan and Dionne Warwick.
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Celine Dion: I’m so saddened to hear of the loss of Will Jennings. Will was more than just a brilliant lyricist; he was a friend and a creative partner to so many incredible artists. It was one of the great fortunes of my career to have the opportunity to sing Will’s lyrics for “My Heart Will Go On” but they are an even greater gift to the world, these words that touched us all, and will go on forever. While his tender spirit and immense talent will be missed, his legacy will continue to resonate through the music that touched all of our hearts. ~ Celine xx…
Pictured left to right: James Horner, Celine and Will Jennings at the 70th Annual Academy Awards in Los Angeles, California in 1998. | From Celine’s Facebook page