Five-time Grammy winner B.J. Thomas, best known for his hit “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head,” has died from complications due to stage four lung cancer. He was 78.
Born in Oklahoma and raised in Texas, Thomas scored his first hit with a 1966 cover of Hank Williams‘ “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry.” In 1968, he had a top five hit with “Hooked on a Feeling,” and in 1970, he topped the charts with “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head.” Penned by Burt Bacharach and Hal David for the movie Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, it won the Oscar for Best Original Song.
In his career, Thomas sold over 70 million records and racked up 25 top 10 singles, including “I Just Can’t Help Believing,” “(Hey Won’t You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song” and “Rock and Roll Lullaby.”
He segued to country music in the early ’80s, scoring hits like “New Looks from an Old Lover” and “Whatever Happened to Old Fashioned Love.” Thomas also had success in gospel music; his 1976 gospel album Home Where I Belong was a million-seller.
Thomas sang the memorable theme song for the sitcom Growing Pains, “As Long as We’ve Got Each Other.” He was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2014.
Thomas is survived by Gloria, his wife of 53 years, their three daughters, and four grandchildren. His funeral will be private; donations in his memory will be accepted by Mission Arlington, Tarrant Area Food Bank, and the SPCA of Texas.
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