Bacharach, Dickinson say daughter commits suicide in California

heraldtribune.com ^ | January 05. 2007

[lunarbicep]

Nikki Bacharach, daughter of songwriter Burt Bacharach and actress Angie Dickinson, committed suicide, Bacharach and Dickinson said in a statement Friday.

Nikki Bacharach, 40, suffered from Asperger's Disorder, a form of autism. She killed herself Thursday night at her condo in Thousand Oaks, said Linda Dozoretz, a spokeswoman for the family.

"She quietly and peacefully committed suicide to escape the ravages to her brain brought on by Asperger's," the statement said.

Nikki Bacharach died of suffocation using a plastic bag and helium, said Mike Feiler of the Ventura County coroner's office.

Born prematurely in 1966, Lea Nikki Bacharach studied geology at Cal Lutheran University, but could not pursue a career in the field because of poor eyesight.

"She loved kitties, and earthquakes, glacial calving, meteor showers, science, blue skies and sunsets, and Tahiti," the statement said.

Nikki Bacharach was the only child of Burt Bacharach, 77, and Dickinson, 75, who were married from 1965 to 1981.

It was the second marriage for both Bacharach, the Oscar-winning composer of "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head," and "What the World Needs Now is Love," and Dickinson, star of the film "Dress to Kill" and the TV show "Police Woman."

Bacharach has three children from other marriages.

Autism is a developmental disorder. Asperger's Disorder, also known as Asperger's syndrome, is sometimes called high-functioning autism.

[lunarbicep]

So very sad. Prayers for the faimlies and friends involved

[freeplancer]

Sad. Mumsy sure had some nice legs though.

[VeritatisSplendor]

How very sad. My oldest son has Asperger's - so far it hasn't got him down but it limits him so much. And my father committed suicide. This hits too close to home.

Mrs VS

[tdewey10]

Ravages of Ausperger's? That's like saying the ravages of near-sightedness (and I speak as someone with both near-sightedness and Ausperger's). More likely she had depression that went untreated.

How sad.

[Rte66]

What a sad story. I always had a "girl crush" on Angie Dickinson - thought she was the most beautiful woman in the world for a long, long time.

Burt wrote some great music, too - as long as he didn't sing it.

I didn't know anything about their family/families, so this is very sad to be the first I heard. And egad, I can't believe they're both that old!

God bless and keep them, and give them comfort, as well as rest for the soul of their precious daughter.

[ZULU]

Sad story. God protect and help them in this crisis.

[pandoraou812]

Prayers for the family and Nikki. So very sad..~~Pandora~~

[potlatch]

Sad to read. I always liked Angie Dickinson and Bacharach wrote some good music.

[BlessedBeGod]

Prayers for her eternal rest and for her friends and family.

[MAD-AS-HELL]

My first thought is that she did it cuz she was so sick of listening to that Gieco commercial showcasing her father.

Sad to hear, none the less.

[oprahstheantichrist]

A mother's worst nightmare. Apparently her only child, too. Prayers for Angie Dickenson, especially.

[NonValueAdded]

Prayers for the family.

[LibFreeOrDie]

"Nikki" - by Burt Bacharach, written for his daughter

Somewhere there is sunshine.
Somewhere days are warm.
Somewhere there's a happy harbor
far from the storm.
Out where the sun shines there is someone
I'm meant to adore,
and I know the day I find her,
I'll smile once more.

Nikki, it's you.
Nikki, where can you be?
It's you, no one but you for me
I've been so lonely since you went away.
I won't spend a happy day
'til you're back in my arms.

For ev'ry dream there is a dreamer,
and when dreams are gone,
for each wish
another star shines to wish up on.
Take all my dreams and all my wishes
Hold them in your heart.
Tell me soon we'll be together,
never to part.

Nikki, it's you.
Nikki, where can you be?
It's you, no one but you for me
I've been so lonely since you went away.
I won't spend a happy day
'til you're back in my arms.

Don't make me wait here in the shadows
till my life is done.
I can't live without the sunshine,
you are the sun.

Oh Nikki, it's you.

[devolve]

Unfortunate

[HiTech RedNeck]

A person never "peacefully commits suicide." It's the very expression of un-peace.

[Theresawithanh]

Incredibly sad. Prayers for her mother and her father.

[taxcontrol]

I believe they were referring to the method, not the mentality. Bag + helium is a very effective way to "check out" though Nitrogen is generally less expensive.

I have long advocated the use of similar techniques as a replacement for lethal injection. Strap them down, standard breathing mask that cover mouth and nose, apply 100% nitrogen, wait 5 min and check for brain waves. Repeat the check for no brain waves every 5 min until no brain waves detected.

The MDS safety sheet for a non CO2 or CO ... "displacement" or inert gas such as Nitrogen or Helium tells us that asphyxiation in this manner does not cause the "I cant breath" auto reflex from the brain when too much CO2 builds up in the blood stream.

[amchugh]

Plus you know the family wants to engage in a little wishful thinking on how much suffering she went through.

Although I would have hoped she hadn't done it, I'm happy she chose a relatively painless method. I've heard enough awful stories of screwed up suicide attempts.

[OldFriend]

Heartbreaking end. Prayers.

[sine_nomine]

Burt could write good music, but did you ever see Lost Horizons? That was voted one of the worst musicals ever. Very funny. The choreography keeps me in stitches.