Alan Bergman, one of the most prominent lyricists, died at his home in Los Angeles on July 17, 2025, at the age of 99. His daughter, Julie Bergman, was by his side.
He passed away just eight days after a celebration was announced in honor of his upcoming 100th birthday on September 11. The event was set to take place at The Broad Stage in Santa Monica, California, with many of his friends and admirers scheduled to perform that night.
Bergman had been dealing with respiratory issues in recent months, but kept writing songs until the very end. A spokesperson confirmed the news in a statement shared with PEOPLE.
He was born on September 11, 1925, in Brooklyn, New York. After serving in the U.S. Army during World War II, Alan earned a degree from the University of North Carolina. He later graduated with a degree in music from UCLA.
Before entering songwriting, Bergman worked as a director for baseball games and musical shows at WCAU-TV. It was lyricist Johnny Mercer who encouraged him to focus on songwriting.
In the mid-1950s, Bergman met his future wife, Marilyn Keith, through composer Lew Spence. They began writing together in 1957 and were married the following year. Their daughter, Julie, was born in 1960.
Though both Alan and Marilyn were born in the same hospital in Brooklyn and raised in New York, the duo didn’t meet until they were both living in California.
Together, the two formed one of the most respected songwriting partnerships in American music. Their lyrics were performed by artists such as Barbra Streisand, Frank Sinatra, Ray Charles, and Tony Bennett.
Alan and Marilyn Bergman also wrote lyrics for numerous notable films, including The Way We Were, Yentl, Tootsie, and The Thomas Crown Affair. They also crafted memorable theme songs for television shows like Maude and Good Times
The Bergmans earned an Emmy in 1975 for the TV musical Queen of the Stardust Ballroom, followed by another in 1977 for Sybil.
In 1995, Alan and Marilyn won for “Ordinary Miracles,” written for Streisand’s 1994 special, and again in 1999 for a song used in AFI’s 100 Years…100 Movies.
Their accolades also include three Academy Awards, two Grammys, two Golden Globes, and induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1980.
They received the Hall’s highest honor, the Johnny Mercer Award, in 1997, along with lifetime achievement awards from the National Academy of Songwriters and the National Music Publishers Association. In 2013, they were recognized with a Trustees Award from the Recording Academy.
In later years, Bergman remained active in the arts even after Marilyn’s death at age 93 in 2022.
He continued writing music on his own. “We always wrote facing each other, never side by side,” Bergman told Classical Voice in 2022. “I would sit on one chair, and she sat about five or six feet away from me. The role of the creator and editor would change within seconds. We would toss ideas back and forth. I can’t do that anymore. I toss them in my head. Luckily, the ideas are still coming.”
He is survived by his daughter, Julie Bergman, a writer and film producer, and his granddaughter, Emily Sender, who recently completed her master’s in global food studies
How Much Was His Net Worth?
At the time of his passing, Bergman’s net worth was estimated at $3 million, accumulated over a remarkable career in songwriting.
Now that the legendary lyricist’s gone, his wealth will likely be inherited by his daughter, Julie Bergman.
