Academy Award winning songwriter, Joseph Brooks, known for the song You Light Up My Life, was found dead Sunday in his apartment in the Upper East Side of New York City.

The songwriter was awaiting trial on sex crime charges. He had pleaded not guilty to rape, sexual abuse and other charges in 2009.

A police spokesman told reporters, via PopEater, that around 12:30 p.m. a friend found Brooks in 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 connection it with the bag.

A suicide note was also found but the contents of it have yet to be revealed.

An autopsy must be done to determine the cause of the death.

His most famous song, You Light Up My Life was made famous in 1977 by Debby Boone. In 2009 Brooks was charged with 82 counts of sexual assault. He was awaiting trial. According to PopEater, Brooks allegedly solicited auditions from starlets on the internet, doped victims with date-rape drugs and assaulted them.

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