Betty Comden Dead Of Heart Failure

Singin' in the Rain is that rare thing - a film canonised as one of the greats that actually is a genuine masterpiece. Sadly, we have now lost Betty Comden, one of the key contributors to what made it so special. Not only did she conceive the story and script the film, she was one of the writers of the often beautiful, always elegant lyrics. Just conceiving the film's narrative would have been puzzle enough - it was designed specifically to make use of a number of pre-existing songs. You would never tell if you were never told.

Adolph Green was her collaborator on that masterpiece and other projects. He died in 2002, finally ending a working relationship that had lasted for 60 years.

Only Stanley Donen and Debbie Reynolds now remain of Singin' in the Rain's key players.