Jack Keller, wrote TV theme songs; 68

April 04, 2005|Associated Press

NASHVILLE -- Pop songwriter Jack Keller, who wrote the theme song for ''Bewitched" and other TV sitcoms and was a producer on the Monkees's first album, died Friday. He was 68.

Mr. Keller had leukemia, according to his son, Jordan.

The son of a musician, Mr. Keller got his big break when he joined Aldon Music, Don Kirschner's Brill Building publishing company in New York, which also employed a stable of young pop songwriters including Carole King and Neil Sedaka.

Mr. Keller and Howard Greenfield wrote ''Everybody's Somebody's Fool" and ''My Heart Has a Mind of Its Own," both No. 1 hits for Connie Francis in 1960, and ''Venus in Blue Jeans" for Jimmy Clanton.

After Aldon was purchased by the TV production company Screen Gems, Mr. Keller and Greenfield wrote the theme song for the shows ''Bewitched" and ''Gidget." He later produced the Monkees first album.