Billy Steinberg, Hitmaking Lyricist of Madonna’s ‘Like a Virgin,’ Dies at 75

Billy Steinberg, a lyricist and Grammy-winning producer whose songs became defining pop hits of the 1980s, died on Monday at his home in Los Angeles. He was 75. His son Ezra, also a songwriter, said the cause was cancer. Steinberg co-wrote songs that became hits for Madonna, Whitney Houston, Cyndi Lauper and the Bangles, and had five No.

1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 in the 1980s: 'Like a Virgin,' 'Alone,' 'So Emotional,' 'True Colors' and 'Eternal Flame.' He wrote for decades with Tom Kelly, often shaping songs before they were matched to performers. 'Like a Virgin' began as a ballad until a Motown bass line and a falsetto demo transformed it into the pop single that spent six weeks atop the Billboard chart and became Madonna’s first No.

1. Clive Davis commissioned Steinberg and Kelly to write an up-tempo song for Whitney Houston, which became 'So Emotional.' Steinberg’s collaborations ranged across genres.

United States, Los Angeles

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