Al Kasha, Academy Award and Tony Nominated Composer and Songwriter, Dies at 83

Oscar winning and Tony nominated composer and songwriter Al Kasha passed away today, September 14th, in Los Angeles. He was 83 years old.

Born in New York City on January 22, 1937, Al Kasha started songwriting and producing at a young age. He was hired as a producer at Columbia Records aged 22 and went on to work at the Brill Building in 1959 alongside writers and artists such as Carole King, Neil Sedaka, Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil, Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller, Burt Bacharach, Hal David, and Neil Diamond. During Kasha's career, he worked with some of music's greatest artists including Aretha Franklin ("Operation Heartbreak" and "Rock-a-Bye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody,") Neil Diamond, Donna Summer ("I'm A Fire,") Charles Aznavour ("Dance In The Old Fashioned Way,") Bobby Darin ("Irresistible You,") and Jackie Wilson ("I'm Coming on Back To You," "My Empty Arms," "Forever And A Day," "Each Night I Dream Of You," "Lonely Life," and "Sing And Tell The Blues So Long.")

Kasha is most noted for his years of collaboration with songwriter Joel Hirschhorn. The two wrote and collaborated on many nominated and award-winning songs for many music groups, movies, and musicals. The Peppermint Rainbow's "Will You Be Staying After Sunday" is just one example of the many songs they wrote for groups during their time.

The songwriting duo won two Oscars for Best Song, "The Morning After" from The Poseidon Adventure in 1973 and "We May Never Love Like This Again" from The Towering Inferno in 1975. They also received two more Academy Award Nominations for their work in the 1977 Walt Disney live action animated classic Pete's Dragon where they were nominated for Best Song Score and Best Song ("Candle On The Water," sung by Helen Reddy).

Along with Hirschhorn, Kasha also received two Tony nominations for Seven Brides for Seven Brothers and Copperfield stage version as well as four Golden Globe nominations and a People's Choice award. They also composed the theme song to the short-lived 1990s game show The Challengers.

Amongst Al's many family scoring credits, he received an Angel Award for his score to China Cry for the Trinity Broadcasting Network.

Kasha has written three books: If They Ask You Can Write A Song, Notes On Broadway, and his autobiography, Reaching The Morning After. He is also in the process of finishing a fourth book that is the definitive book on songwriting entitled, The Ultimate Book on Songwriting.

Kasha's more recent work has included two musicals, The Real Love and Loving The Silent Tears, that he conceived and created with Vietnamese poet Supreme Master Ching Hai.

Kasha is survived by his wife Ceil Kasha, daughter Dana Kasha-Cohen, son-in-law Randy Cohen and grandson Dean Cohen.