Burt Bacharach, the acclaimed composer and songwriter behind dozens of mellow pop hits from the 1950s to the 1980s,
including "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head," "(They Long to Be) Close to You" and the theme from the movie "Arthur," has died
a family member of Bacharach confirmed to CNN
A major figure in 20th century pop music, Bacharach scored major hits in a variety of genres
from Top 40 to country to rhythm and blues and film scores. He wrote hit songs for a wide range of artists
including Dusty Springfield, Dionne Warwick, Tom Jones, Neil Diamond, the Carpenters and Christopher Cross
Many of his songs were classified, perhaps unfairly, as "easy listening" -- a gentle, old fashioned style of music with few rough edges
Most were far removed from the sounds of rock and roll, funk, disco or other popular genres of his time