Harry Edward Nilsson III (June 15, 1941 – January 15, 1994), was an American singer-songwriter who achieved the peak of his commercial success in the early 1970s. On all but his earliest recordings he is credited as Nilsson and is known for the hit singles "Without You", "Everybody's Talkin'", and "Coconut", and for songs appearing in numerous movies and television shows.
He was awarded Grammys for two of his recordings; best male contemporary vocal in 1969 for "Everybody's Talkin'", the theme song to the Academy Award-winning movie "Midnight Cowboy", and best male pop vocal in 1972 for "Without You."
Nilsson was born in the Bushwick section of Brooklyn, New York, in 1941. His paternal grandparents were Swedish circus performers and dancers, especially known for their "aerial ballet" (which is the title of one of Nilsson's albums). His father, Harry Edward Nilsson, Jr., abandoned the family three years later. An autobiographical reference to this is found in the opening to Nilsson's song "1941":
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