Elliot Willensky

1943–2010 (age 67)

Composer and arranger

Biography

Elliot Willensky’s gift for melody and harmony illuminated multiple genres, from the Broadway stage to the pop charts. A composer and arranger of note, he penned the soulful anthem “Got to Be There,” giving Michael Jackson one of his earliest solo hits, and contributed songs to theater and television that revealed his knack for storytelling through music.

Willensky also collaborated with other artists to nurture emerging talent, translating complex emotions into notes that resonated with listeners of all ages. He is remembered for the care with which he shaped arrangements that honored both the music and the performer, a legacy now at rest at Baron Hirsch Cemetery.

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