Will Jennings, Oscar-winning co-writer of "My Heart Will Go On" and "Tears in Heaven," dies at 80

Will Jennings, Oscar-winning co-writer of “My Heart Will Go On” and “Tears in Heaven,” dies at 80

Will Jennings, an Oscar-winning writer behind mega-hits like “My Heart Will Go On” from the movie “Titanic” and “Tears in Heaven”, died at the age of 80, his talent agency confirmed to CBS News.

“May his memory be a blessing,” Sam Schwartz with The Gorfaine/Schwartz Agency, Inc., told CBS News on Sunday.

No cause of death was announced, although multiple reports say he had been ill for some time.

37th Annual Songwriters Hall of Fame Ceremony - Show and Dinner
Will Jennings, inductee during 37th Annual Songwriters Hall of Fame Ceremony – Show and Dinner at Marriott Marquis in New York City, New York, United States.

Stephen Lovekin/WireImage for Songwriter’s Hall of Fame


Jennings was born in Kilgore, Texas on June 27, 1944 — the youngest of three children. Before pursuing a career in Hollywood, he was a professor at Tyler Junior College in Tyler, Texas, and then at Austin State University, before teaching at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire for three years.

social media post, writing, “‘A Lot of Good Ones Gone’ … A sad time, the passing of Will Jennings, a maestro, brilliant mind and a gentle spirit. Will shared his talents with me, ever patient and generous, he was a treasured friend and teacher, enriching my life in so many ways. It was an enormous honor to have worked with such a musical genius for so many years …To quote one of his favorite poets, W.B Yeats,’Think where man’s glory most begins and ends, and say my glory was I had such friends.'”

Jennings is survived by his wife, Carole, and his sisters, Joyce and Gloria.

Source: cbsnews.com