Allee Willis, songwriter of Friends theme song, passes away

Songwriter Allee Willis, who is best known for composing the theme song of the popular sitcom, Friends, passed away on Tuesday after a cardiac arrest at the age of 72.

Willis entered the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2018 for a catalog that also included hits such as Neutron dance, What have I done to deserve this?, Lead me on, Boogie Wonderland, and You're the best, which is the theme track of The Karate Kid.

The songwriter was a two-time Grammy winner and was also nominated for a Tony and an Emmy.

Willis had originally written the Friends theme song, I'll be there for you on assignment as a 60-second piece. When the pop duo Rembrandts came on board, they wanted to expand it into a complete song, so contributed a bridge and a lyric for the second verse. Thus was born the full-length version of the song.

Willis recorded her lone album, Childstar, in the seventies. This helped introduce her as a songwriter to other singers of the era. She was also a visual and social artist, painter, director, collector of odd artifacts and memorabilia, and a stand-up comedian and performance artist.

Willis is survived by her brother Kent Willis, sister Marlin Frost and niece Mandy Becker.