Posted on 01/05/2007 10:25:54 PM PST by 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.
Extremely sad...
Thanks for posting your comment. It cleared up some confusion created by the family's statement.
I like his GEICO commercial.
Didn't kevorkian use CO for just that reason?
You'll be ok as will be your son. I'm keeping you and your son in my prayers.
Prayers for the family and all involved. There are times myself where I wonder if I have Asperger's, I do and did display a lot of tags for it. I know self diagnosis is not the way to go and can be dangerous at times, but I can't help wondering. Once I get a better health plan, maybe that's a road for me to pursue. A side note, sometimes I did have a lack of empathy until the time I asked God and Jesus into my heart, but some of the other factors do seem to remain from time to time. Like Nikki, I was born in 1966 and turned 40 last year.
Very sad for Burt and Angie.
I like Burt's GEICO commercial....but the funniest one IMHO, is Little Richard's. MASHED POTATOS, GRAVY and CRANBERRY SAUCE WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!
I laugh every time I see it.
I forgot about that one. Yes, Little Richard is very funny.
No, I'm not familiar with that one. I'll look around the net to find out more. I'm 2 degrees removed from him through mutual friendship, but haven't really paid a lot of attention to his work, other than pop music I've known.
I normally notice all the GEICO commercials, and I know I've seen his numerous times, but it doesn't register with me now in memory. Will have to watch more closely now.
Loved all the gecko ones and the first caveman one, plus a few of the "sequels" running now (*someone got up on the wrong side of the rock* and *to his therapist: it's my mother on the phone, I'll put her on speaker*) and especially love the Little Richard one *mashed potatoes and GRAVY*.
Seems like the Peter Graves one runs the most, tho. It's funny, but wearing as thin as the Mini-Me "it's my birthday, it's my birthday" one is, to me.
Priceless. Buy or rent the video. I think it was a Golden Turkey Award winner. I catch it on TV every so often.
Ah, it was Lost Horizon (singular) as in the James Hilton book about Shanrgi-La. Something tells me I did see this, but it didn't make an impression on me.
Reading the online comments is funny - *love it* *hate it* *fabulous* *cheesy*. Notes said it is one of the few movies never to have been released on home video, lol. Guess I'll have to keep an eye out for it some other way!
There you go. Too good for home rental!
You will love the Bacharach commercial. He sits at his piano, next to a GEICO customer, who describes her accident. As she explains her accident, he sings about it at the piano.
Funny, the Bacharach GEICO commercial was the last thing I heard on the radio today. It's been running through my mind for more than an hour. Still is. Prayers for Nikki and her parents.
Lizard licks his eyeballs...
Hope I never get hit in the rearrrrr again.
The commercial cracks me up. Wonder how long it will be until it's out of my head.
Bacharach's cracking voice...gotta love it.
My sympathies to Angie and Burt. May their beloved daughter rest in peace.
Re-read the comment...it's NON-CO that does that.
Carbon monoxide is not so simple.
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