Biography
He was born in Illinois, and grew up in Detroit, Michigan. He attended the Harvard Military School in Los Angeles. Upon his graduation, Whiting began his career as a staff writer for various music publishers. In 1912, he became a personal manager.
In 1919, he moved to Hollywood and wrote a number of film scores. He collaborated with BG DeSylva, Ray Egan, Johnny Mercer, Neil Moret, Leo Robin, Gus Kahn, and Sidney Clare, to produce a number of hits (listed below). He also wrote a number of scores for Broadway plays.
A tribute to Whiting's music along with a medley of his best-known songs formed part of the 1980 Broadway musical A Day in Hollywood / A Night in the Ukraine.
He was the father of singer/actress Margaret Whiting and actress Barbara Whiting Smith, and the grandson of Rep. Richard H. Whiting.
In 1938, he died from a heart attack at the age of 46, at the height of his career. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970.
Read more about this topic: Richard A. Whiting
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