Joseph Brooks, 'You Light Up My Life' Songwriter, Found Dead in Apparent Su

[cyberjudge]

Joseph Brooks, the Oscar-winning songwriter awaiting trial on sex crime charges, was found dead Sunday of an apparent suicide in his New York City apartment, police say. The 'You Light Up My Life' songwriter, 73, pleaded not guilty to rape, sexual abuse and other charges in 2009.

A police spokesman told reporters that at around 12:30 p.m., a friend found Brooks at his home with a plastic dry-cleaning bag around his head and a towel wrapped around his neck. A helium tank was nearby with a tube connecting it with the bag.

The friend, whose name has not been released, was at the Upper East Side apartment because the two had planned a lunch. The rep, Paul Browne, said an autopsy must be conducted before a cause of death can be determined.

A suicide note was found but its contents have not been revealed.

The composer (most famous for his 1977 Debby Boone hit 'You Light Up My Life,' which won an Academy Award and a Grammy) was charged in 2009 with 82 counts of sexual assault, and is currently awaiting trial. Brooks allegedly solicited "auditions" from starlets on the internet, doped victims with date-rape drugs and assaulted them.

His trial date had not been set and his lawyer and prosecutors have not commented on his death.

In another sad twist, Brooks' son Nicholas was arrested last year on murder charges in the death of 33-year-old Sylvie Cachay -- the swimwear designer he was dating until they broke up not long before. He is awaiting trial.