Playbill

Cynthia Weil () Obituary

Cynthia Weil, one of the most successful songwriters of the 20th century pop music industry, has passed away. News of her passing was confirmed to TMZ by her daughter. She was 82.

Born October 18, 1940 to a conservative Jewish Brooklyn family, Ms. Weil trained as an actress and singer before turning to songwriting, where she was a protégé of Frank Loesser. In the summer of 1961, Ms. Weill married Barry Mann, a fellow songwriter, cementing an artistic collaboration that would become one of the most influential in the mid-century era of rock and pop music in the United States.

Of the duo's many successful songs, some of their most popular included "On Broadway," "Walking in the Rain," "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'," "We Gotta Get out of This Place," "(You're My) Soul and Inspiration," "Make Your Own Kind of Music," and "Here You Come Again."

Ms. Weil and Mann were proponents of the "Brill Building Sound," named for the New York building where many of the most popular songs of the era were written. It was there that Ms. Weil met Carole King and Gerry Goffin, another songwriting duo that would become close friends. Ms. Weill and Mann remained close with King through her divorce from Goffin, and remained in touch throughout their lives. In Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, Ms. Weil was originally played by Anika Larsen, who received a Tony nomination for her performance.

Ms. Weil is survived by her husband of 62 years, Barry Mann, and their daughter, Dr. Jenn Mann.

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