SONGWRITER Allee Willis, famed for writing the theme tune to Friends, has died.
Ms Willis, 72, is understood to have suffered a sudden cardiac arrest on Christmas Eve.
Her partner, Prudence Fenton, confirmed the news.
A message posted on Ms Willis' Instagram page on behalf of her friends and family, stated: "We are extremely shocked and devastated to share this news."
Ms Willis won two Grammys during her career - one for penning the soundtrack to hit film 'Beverly Hills Cop' and another for writing the score for Broadway musical, 'The Colour Purple'.
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Despite her musical success, she had never learned how to read or play music.
She told the Times: "I hear melodies constantly. I always say: 'If you were to drop dead, I could write to the clunk of the body.'"
She also wrote the theme song You're the Best for the film 'The Karate Kid, but her most iconic theme was the pop song I’ll Be There for You, which was a hit for the Rembrandts and used as the music for the opening credits of sitcom Friends.
It peaked a number three in the UK charts in 1995, the year the show began airing in the UK.
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Ms Willis, who grw up in Detroit and studied journalism in Wisconsin before going into songwriting, also penned the hits 'September' and 'Boogie Wonderland' for 1970s R&B band Earth, Wind and Fire.
Her other iconic songs include 'What Have I Done to Deserve This?', a duet performed by the Pet Shop Boys and Dusty Springfield, and 'Neutron Dance' for the Pointer Sisters.
Ms Willis was a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
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