Scroll To Top
Arts & Entertainment

"Fly Me to the Moon" composer Bart Howard dead at 88

"Fly Me to the Moon" composer Bart Howard dead at 88

Support The Advocate
LGBTQ+ stories are more important than ever. Join us in fighting for our future. Support our journalism.
" >

Bart Howard, a songwriter and pianist best known for his composition "Fly Me to the Moon," died Saturday in Carmel, N.Y. He was 88. The cause was complications from a stroke, said Thomas Fowler, his companion of 58 years. Born in Burlington, Iowa, Howard moved to Los Angeles in 1934 with dreams of writing music for movies. He later relocated to New York, where singer Mabel Mercer added his song "If You Leave Paris" to her repertoire. From 1941 to 1945 he served as a musician in the Army. "Fly Me to the Moon"--also known as "In Other Words"--first gained fame in 1960, when Peggy Lee sang it on The Ed Sullivan Show. Two years later it was a hit in instrumental form for conductor Joe Harnell. His other well-known songs included "Let Me Love You" and "Don't Dream of Anybody but Me." Howard was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1999.

" data-page-title="

"Fly Me to the Moon" composer Bart Howard dead at 88

" >
The Advocates with Sonia BaghdadyOut / Advocate Magazine - Alan Cumming and Jake Shears

From our Sponsors

Most Popular

Latest Stories

Outtraveler Staff