‘You Light Up My Life’ songwriter Brooks, facing sex charges, apparently kills himself in NYC

[The Straight Story]

‘You Light Up My Life’ songwriter Brooks, facing sex charges, apparently kills himself in NYC

NEW YORK — Joseph Brooks, the Academy Award-winning songwriter of “You Light Up My Life” who was awaiting trial for rape, was found dead Sunday of an apparent suicide in his Manhattan apartment, police said.

Brooks, 73, was discovered in his Upper East Side apartment around 12:30 p.m. by a friend with whom he had planned to have lunch, police spokesman Paul Browne said.

Brooks was found with a plastic dry-cleaning bag around his head and a towel wrapped around his neck, Browne said. A hose attached to a helium tank was hooked up to the bag, he said. It was not immediately clear how long Brooks had been there.

The medical examiner will perform an autopsy to determine the cause of death. Police said a suicide note was found but they didn’t reveal its contents.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/you-light-up-my-life-songwriter-brooks-facing-sex-charges-apparently-kills-himself-in-nyc/2011/05/22/AF5rBF9G_story.html

[Hannah Bell]

1. he was 71 when charged. his son is under charges of murder for another crime.

he doesn't look very fit. looks like a cancer patient actually

[malaise]

5. Sure looks ill

Damn!

[Name removed]

2. Deleted message

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[BeyondGeography]

3. That song was a sign that the 70s were about to take a very bad turn for the worse

It made me homicidal.

[XanaDUer]

4. Whoa.

Wow, it gets curiouser and curiouser.

[onethatcares]

6. what the hell is up with these folks?

on another note, why helium? did he want to talk like donald duck on the way out?

[JackRiddler]

7. Noble gas.

Odorless, colorless, not poisonous but not oxygen. Can be breathed as though it's air, gets him a bit high and he dies without pain. In theory, anyway.