Oscar-winning songwriter dies

Joel Hirschhorn, who shared two Academy Awards for theme songs of The Poseidon Adventure and The Towering Inferno, has died. He was 67.

Hirschhorn suffered a heart attack in hospital after breaking his shoulder in a fall last week at his Californian home, his wife, documentary producer Jennifer Carter Hirschhorn, said.

Hirschhorn’s songs sold more than 90 million records, were featured in 20 films and were recorded by artists including Elvis Presley.

With collaborator Al Kasha, he won his first Oscar in 1973 for The Morning After from The Poseidon Adventure, a film about a luxury cruise ship capsized by an enormous wave.

They earned a second Academy Award in 1975 for We May Never Love Like This Again from The Towering Inferno, a film about a catastrophic blaze in a high-rise building.

Hirschhorn and Kasha were nominated for another pair of Oscars for songs from the Disney animated film Pete’s Dragon.

They also received two Tony Award nominations – in 1981 for their score for the musical Copperfield and in 1983 for songs in a revival of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.