LOS ANGELES – Allee Willis, a songwriter whose work included the Broadway musical “The Color Purple” as well as the theme song from the TV show “Friends” and Earth, Wind & Fire’s “September,” has died. She was 72.
The cause of death Tuesday was a cardiac event, her publicist, Ellyn Solis, told The New York Times.
The Times did not specify where she died, though she had been living in Los Angeles. The Associated Press could not immediately reach Solis.
Willis was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2018 – more than 30 years after she won a Grammy for co-writing Patti LaBelle’s “Stir It Up” for the soundtrack of “Beverly Hills Cop.”
She was nominated for but did not win, Grammy and Tony awards for co-writing the music for “The Color Purple.”