Grammy-winning US songwriter Billy Steinberg, a key figure behind several chart-topping hits including Madonna’s Like a Virgin, has died at 75.
Steinberg’s family described him as a “visionary lyricist, devoted husband, loving father, and one of the most influential songwriters of his era”.
His songs were performed by Whitney Houston, Roy Orbison, Celine Dion, Demi Lovato, and The Bangles.
Steinberg’s lawyer confirmed to the Newsmen he died in Los Angeles following a cancer diagnosis.
His family noted that he received multiple industry accolades throughout his four-decade career, including a Grammy Award for his work on Celine Dion’s 1996 album Falling Into You.
“Yet those closest to him knew that what mattered most was not recognition, but connection – the magic of hearing a crowd sing back something that once lived only in his notebook,”the family said.
Born William Steinberg, the Californian songwriter began collaborating with vocalist and songwriter Tom Kelly in the early 1980s.
Steinberg went on to co-write songs in the early 2000s, such as JoJo’s Too Little Too Late and Demi Lovato’s Give Your Heart a Break.
The Songwriters Hall of Fame, into which Steinberg was inducted in 2011, describes him as one of the “most successful songwriters“, whose songs have turned into “enduring classics”.
Steinberg is survived by his wife Trina, two sons and two stepchildren.
BBC/Victoria Ibanga