Acclaimed Composer Stacy Widelitz Passes

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Stacy Widelitz

Stacy Widelitz, a celebrated composer, songwriter, photographer and arts advocate, passed away Tuesday morning (June 17) following a recent diagnosis of pancreatic cancer that had metastasized. He was 69.

Widelitz first rose to prominence with the song “She’s Like the Wind,” co-written with his friend Patrick Swayze and featured on the Dirty Dancing soundtrack. The track reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 1 on the Adult Contemporary chart, contributing to the massive commercial success of the film’s soundtrack.

Over the course of his career, Widelitz composed music for feature films and more than 20 made-for-TV movies, and was nominated for an Emmy for his work on ABC’s World of Discovery. He also penned the end-title song for Disney’s Pocahontas II.

A native of Plainview, New York, Widelitz spent nearly two decades in Los Angeles before relocating to Nashville in 2000. In Music City, he continued his work in music and became deeply engaged in the broader creative and civic community.

He served on the boards of numerous local organizations, including the Nashville Opera, Nashville Film Festival, Alias Chamber Ensemble, and Dismas House, holding the role of President at several. He was also a longtime member and Past President of the Leadership Music Board of Directors. From 2016 to 2020, he served as a City Commissioner in Oak Hill, Tennessee.

In recent years, Widelitz explored a new creative path through black-and-white street photography, earning multiple awards and exhibiting his work at Chauvet Arts in Nashville. His photography took him around the world, including to Italy, Cuba, Paris, London, Berlin, Barcelona and across the United States.

In a note Widelitz wrote a few days before his death, he said: “When I look at my life, I’ve been on an incredibly lucky streak. I pursued my dreams of a career in music from an early age, and made a success of them. I even found further satisfaction and success with new and unexpected pursuits, such as photography and civic leadership. It’s been gratifying, fascinating, at times challenging and infuriating, but mostly it’s been a whole lot of fun. I’m not torturing myself with ‘shoulda” or “coulda.’ As Edith Piaf sang, ‘Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien’ – I regret nothing.”

A Celebration of Life has been set for Wednesday, Aug. 20 at the CMA Theater (222 Rep. John Lewis Way S., Nashville, TN 37203). Doors will open at 5:30 p.m. central, with the program beginning at 6:00 p.m. A cocktail reception will follow in the Grand Foyer at 7:00 p.m.

LB Cantrell
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