Gospel Music Hall of Fame composer Kurt Kaiser passed away this week at the age of 83, after battling a lengthy illness.
According to the Waco Tribune-Herald, Kaiser, who wrote songs such as “Pass It On” and “Oh How He Love You and Me” passed away on Monday at his home in Waco, Texas.
The Gospel music legend is survived by his wife Pat, four children, ten grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, a sister and three brothers, The Christian Post reports.
Kaiser was born in Chicago, Illinois, where studied at the American Conservatory of Music and earned two degrees from Northwestern University.
The composer then moved to Waco in 1959, where he joined Word, Inc., a Christian record and entertainment company, as their Director of Artists and Repertoire and later became the Vice President and Director of Music.
Kurt also fostered a close relationship with the Christian college, Baylor University, where. he conducted the Baylor Religious Hour Choir for five years.
Having composed approximately 300 copyrighted songs in his lifetime, Kaiser had a knack for finding artists strengths. In an interview with Baylor Magazine in 2017, Kaiser said, “I know what singers like to sing, what kinds of swoops they like to take, what kind of lyrics they like, and I learned a lot of that at Word.”
He continued, “Many times singers selected music that didn’t fit their style or their range. I love matching their personality to their music.”
Not only was Kaiser inducted into the Gospel Hall of Fame in 2001, but he also received awards such as Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers in 1992 and the Faithfulness in Service Award in 2003.
The Christian Post reports that the family will hold a private burial service on Thursday followed by a “Celebration of Life” service at the First Baptist Church of Waco, on Friday.
Photo courtesy: Robert Rogers/Baylor University
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