Sir Michael Caine pays tribute to late friend Leslie Bricusse a year after the composer’s death
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‘I talk to him like crazy every day’: Sir Michael Caine pays tribute to late friend Leslie Bricusse and ‘refuses to let him go’ a year after composer’s death
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Sir Michael Caine paid tribute to Oscar-winning composer and lyricist Leslie Bricusse, who died a year ago at the age of 90.
At the memorial service in London, at St James’s Piccadilly, Sir Michael, a friend for 60 years, admitted that he still struggled with his absence.
“I have a chat with him every day like crazy,” the 89-year-old actor confessed.
Tribute: Sir Michael Caine paid tribute to Oscar-winning composer and lyricist Leslie Bricusse as he attended the composer’s memorial service at St James’s Church in Piccadilly with his wife Shakira on Thursday
He added: ‘I’ve invented a kind of ghost, who I talk to…I refuse to let him go. I loved Leslie.’
Dame Joanna Lumley, 76, also paid her respects during the service, along with Barry Humphries, 88, his wife Lizzie and Nigel Havers, 70, and wife Georgiana.
Bricusse’s famous friends turned out to be supportive of his wife Evie and their son Adam.
Icon: Bricusse wrote music and lyrics for films including Scrooge and Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory, as well as the songs Goldfinger and You Only Live Twice (photo 1983)
Close: Leslie Bricusse and Sir Michael were close friends for 60 years (pictured in 2013)
Bricusse wrote music and lyrics for Scrooge and Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory, among others, as well as the songs Goldfinger and You Only Live Twice.
By the time he died at age 90, Bricusse had been the composer and lyricist for more than 40 blockbuster musicals on stage and screen.
He was nominated for 10 Oscars, of which he won two. He also won nine Grammys and four Tony Awards.
Support: Joanna Lumley wore an emerald green jacket paired with a navy blue skirt and suede boots as she paid her respects at the memorial service
Support: Nigel Havers, 70, and wife Georgiana supported each other throughout the event
Bricusse’s successful career meant he could afford it houses and villas in Beverly Hills, Malta, Gstaad, Acapulco and Saint-Paul de Vence, among others with views of blue seas, swimming pools or fresh snow.
Every weekend there was a party for the ‘British refugees’ – Michael Caine, Christopher Lee, Samantha Eggar, David Hemmings and Roger Moore.
There was even a party, in April 1984, for Prince Andrew.
Two’s company: Barry Humphries, 88, and his wife Lizzie were seen arm in arm during the shift