Perry Botkin Jr., the Grammy-winning composer behind “The Young and the Restless” theme song, died on Monday, his publicist confirmed. He was 87.
A TV and film composer whose work dominated the ’60s and ’70s, Botkin composed and arranged theme music and scores for hit series like “Happy Days,” “Laverne & Shirley,” “Mork & Mindy” and “The Smothers Brothers Show.”
The theme song for “The Young and the Restless,” best known as “Nadia’s Theme” for its association with Olympic gymnast Nadia Comăneci, was an original rearrangement of a piece he co-wrote with Barry De Vorzon and later earned him a Grammy award for best instrumental arrangement.
On film, Botkin’s credits include “Goin’ South,” “Skyjacked,” “Tarzan the Ape Man,” “They Only Kill Their Masters” and 1971’s “Bless the Beasts and Children,” for which he received a “Best Original Song” Oscar nomination for the title song performed by The Carpenters.
Botkin also collaborated with numerous other artists, including Glen Campbell, Barbra Streisand, Sammy Davis Jr., Bobby Darin, Jack Jones, Peggy Lee, The Everly Brothers, The Carpenters, The Supremes, The Ronettes, Jose Feliciano and Paul Williams.
Most recently, Botkin’s music was featured on the soundtrack of “Baby Driver.”
Botkin is survived by his wife Liza, his son David and his grandson Daniel Tyler.