A music diva opened up about Burt Bacharach's muse, Dionne Warwick, who never forgave her for allegedly stealing one of the songwriter's greatest songs.
Bacharach's publicist, Tina Brausam, shared a statement on Thursday confirming that the composer died Wednesday at his Los Angeles home. She also revealed that Burt Bacharach's cause of death was of natural causes.
Following his passing, Cilla Black's previous interview in which she claimed Bacharach's muse, Dionne Warwick, never forgave her surfaced.
Bacharach famously released several hit songs, one of which has two versions that were sung by Black and Warwick, per Express. The American legend said her British rival, Black, ruined her potential success in the UK and accused her of "jumping in and recording" the composer's biggest hits.
In 2016, Warwick said during a press conference at the Cannes Film Festival that Black was her "nemesis" who stole her song. She referred to Black's version of "Anyone Who Had a Heart," which secured the top spot in the UK charts in 1963.
Its success ultimately overshadowed Warwick's original recording.
Warwick continuously spoke about it in more interviews, including in Lorraine in 2019.
"I was not pleased, of course, that she covered my recording of Anyone Who Had a Heart. Prior to at least giving me the time and exposure," she said.
In response to these, Black said Warwick was "dead choked and she's never forgiven me to this day."
Bacharach wrote the music for "Anyone Who Had a Heart" while Hal David created its lyrics. The power duo composed the song for Warwick in 1963, and it hit the Top 10 lists in the US, Canada, Spain, Australia, Belgium, South Africa, and the Netherlands.
Meanwhile, Black's version dominated the UK, New Zealand, and Ireland.
Burt Bacharach Dead at 94
The feud resurfaced following Bacharach's tragic death. He was 94.
The famed composer played a huge role in expanding 20th-century pop music, writing hit songs for several artists including Christopher Cross, Tom Jones, Neil Diamond, the Carpenters, and Dusty Springfield.
Among the biggest hits he wrote included "Baby It's You," "Magic Moments," "This Guy's In Love With You," "On My Own," "What The World Needs Now Is Love," and "That's What Friends Are For."
The latter song served as a charity collaboration between Warwick, Stevie Wonder, Elton John, and Gladys Knight. The musicians were able to raise millions for AIDS research and even topped the charts soon after the song's release in 1986.
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