Gold is survived by his wife and three daughters US singer-songwriter Andrew Gold, who enjoyed hits in the 1970s with Lonely Boy and Never Let Her Slip Away, has died in Los Angeles at the age of 59.
Another of his songs, Thank You for Being a Friend, was known to millions after being used as the theme for long-running sitcom The Golden Girls.
During the 1980s, Gold formed Wax UK with ex-10cc member Graham Gouldman.
His UK label, Dome Records, remembered him as “a hugely talented musician” with “a brilliant sense of humour”.
Gold, who died on Friday of a heart attack, was the son of Ernest Gold, Oscar-winning composer of films like Exodus and It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World.
His mother, Marni Nixon, is a singer and actress best known for dubbing the stars of such Hollywood musicals as My Fair Lady and West Side Story.
Gold performed with Linda Ronstadt before his breakthrough as a solo artist with Asylum Records.
He went on to work with Art Garfunkel, Celine Dion, James Taylor, Sir Paul McCartney and nuumerous other artists.
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