Entertainment

Dionne Warwick: Losing Hal David is like losing a family member

September 3, 2012 / 1:52 PM EDT / CBS/AP

Songwriter Hal David greets singer Dionne Warwick at the 2002 NARAS Heroes Awards on Dec. 11, 2002, in New York. Matthew Peyton/Getty Images

(CBS/AP) Dionne Warwick is comparing the death of lyricist Hal David to the loss of a relative.

The singer issued a statement Sunday after David died in Los Angeles at age 91.

Warwick explained that she feels "as if I have lost another family member, but knowing I will always have him with me each time I sing the lyrics ... will continue to bring me a sense of him being with me always."

David partnered with composer Burt Bacharach on dozens of timeless hits sung by Warwick, including "What the World Needs Now is Love" and "I Say a Little Prayer."

Bacharach said in a statement that David's lyrics of "A House Is Not a Home" or "Alfie" are "as good as you can get."

Other celebrities have reached out on Twitter to mourn the songwriter:

I hope that the music world will join together in celebrating the life of one of our greatest composers ever, Mr. Hal David.
-- Smokey Robinson (@smokey_robinson) September 2, 2012

RIP Hal David. It was an honor singing your lyrics on broadway and in concert. #heartbroken
-- Kristin Chenoweth (@KChenoweth) September 1, 2012

What the world needs now is love sweet love. It's the only thing that there's just too little of. -Hal David 1921-2012 pls RT!
-- Eric Benet (@ebenet) September 1, 2012

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