Now Playing: 1920-2008
Topic: Lew Spence
Lew Spence, a songwriter who composed the Grammy-nominated Frank Sinatra song "Nice 'n' Easy" and "That Face," a standard recorded by Fred Astaire, has died. He was 87. He worked with a number of lyricists over the years, including Alan and Marilyn Bergman. Much later in his career -- at 60 -- he began writing lyrics to some of his songs, and he continued songwriting until his death. Among his best-known works are "Half as Lovely (Twice as True)," "If I Had Three Wishes," "Love Looks So Well on You," "Sleep Warm" and "So Long My Love." In addition to Sinatra and Astaire, other artists who sang Spence's songs included Dean Martin, Tony Bennett, Bobby Short, Peggy Lee, Nat King Cole, Johnny Mathis, Bing Crosby, Billy Eckstine and Dinah Shore. Spence died in his sleep Jan. 9 at his home in Los Angeles, said his niece, Toni M. Schulman.