The Ballad of Nikki Bacharach
January 7, 2007
By Andrew Buncombe
 Behind
the songwriter Burt Bacharach's apparently blessed life lay a hidden
tragedy: his daughter suffered from a developmental disorder.
Tormented by the condition, she committed suicide last week.
The recording of the song you will
most often hear these days is an instrumental version complete with
lush strings, a backing choir and a gently soaring saxophone solo
that rises up out of the brass section.
But in 1966 when Burt Bacharach
penned "Nikki" for his prematurely born daughter, there were
accompanying lyrics courtesy of his long-time writing partner, Hal
David, that spoke of good times and bad: "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 till you're back in my arms."
Now, four decades after she was
born and after that piece of music was written for her, Lea Nikki
Bacharach has been swallowed up by the bad times. Having struggled
all her life with the developmental disorder Asperger's syndrome
(AS) - a form of autism - the young woman known as Nikki took her
own life last week. Her body was found in her California home.
Officials from the Ventura County
coroner's office said she had suffocated herself using a plastic bag
and helium gas.
A brief statement issued by
Bacharach and Nikki's mother - his former wife Angie Dickinson, an
actress - said their only daughter killed herself at her apartment
in the suburb of Thousand Oaks, north of Los Angeles, at about 8pm
last Thursday.
"She quietly and peacefully
committed suicide to escape the ravages to her brain brought on by
Asperger's," it read. "She loved kitties, and earthquakes, glacial
calving, meteor showers, science, blue skies and sunsets, and
Tahiti. She was one of the most beautiful creatures created on this
earth, and she is now in the white light, at peace."
Now 78, Bacharach is still going
strong. Last year he recorded a jazz album with the Dutch singer
Trijntje Oosterhuis, featuring a number of his classic songs. He
played piano on several tracks. The man who for years was known for
his work with Dionne Warwick was recently forced to postpone a tour
of Australia and New Zealand after injuring his shoulder.
Aside from the personal tragedy
this has brought for the man who has written more than 50 top 40
hits including "Walk on By" and "The Look of Love" the suicide of
the 40-year-old woman has focused attention on AS, an often
misunderstood condition that, like all forms of autism, leaves
sufferers struggling with communication, social interaction and
imagination. At the same time, people with AS can be high achievers.
A number of celebrities have been diagnosed with the disorder.
"Autism is a spectrum disorder and
it affects people in very different ways," a spokeswoman for the
UK-based National Autism Society (NAS) said.
"You can have classic autism at one
end, where people are very clearly affected and may not be able to
communicate verbally.... As you move up the spectrum you have
high-functioning autism or AS. People with AS usually have a normal
IQ but have problems expressing themselves.
"People with AS can lead a very
full life - they can be married and have a job. But the right
support is needed and [there needs to be] understanding by people
such as GPs or social services so that needs can be fully met. It's
important that people get support when they need it."
AS was first identified by the late
Austrian physician Hans Asperger in the 1940s. In a paper written in
1944 he talked of a pattern of behaviour he had identified in four
young boys which he termed "autistic psychopathy". He said this
behaviour featured "a lack of empathy, little ability to form
friendships, one-sided conversation, intense absorption in a special
interest, and clumsy movements". He referred to children with AS as
"little professors" because of their ability to talk about their
favourite subject in great detail.
He wrote: "Exceptional human beings
must be given exceptional educational treatment, treatment which
takes into account their special difficulties. Further, we can show
that despite abnormality, human beings can fulfil their social role
within the community, especially if they find understanding, love
and guidance."
Named in recognition of Asperger's
work, the condition was formally recognised in the US in 1994 when
it was included in the fourth edition of the Diagnostic and
Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. In the UK, it was
little-known until the work of Lorna Wing, a founder member of the
NAS, and currently a consultant, who wrote about it in 1981. Her
interest was sparked by the birth of a daughter who was diagnosed
with the condition.
Since then there has been a fresh
drive into learning more about AS. There have also been claims that
a number of brilliant historical figures, including Sir Isaac Newton
and Albert Einstein, may have had the condition. In 2003, New
Scientist magazine reported that the Cambridge-based autism expert
Simon Baron-Cohen had analysed the behaviour of the two men and
concluded they may have shown typical symptoms.
It said Newton seemed to have been
a classic case. "He hardly spoke, was so engrossed in his work that
he often forgot to eat, and was lukewarm or bad-tempered with the
few friends he had. If no one turned up to his lectures, he gave
them anyway, talking to an empty room. He had a nervous breakdown at
50, brought on by depression and paranoia." Meanwhile, as a child
Einstein was a loner, and repeated sentences obsessively until he
was seven.
Professor Baron-Cohen concluded:
"Passion, falling in love and standing up for justice are all
perfectly compatible with Asperger's syndrome. What most people with
AS find difficult is casual chatting - they can't do small talk." He
added: "This condition can make people depressed or suicidal, so if
we can find out how to make things easier for them, that's
worthwhile."
What causes autism and AS is still
unclear. Experts believe a number of factors may be involved, of
which genetics may be just one. They also believe that if there is
an "autism gene" it is more likely to involve a number of genes
rather than one. The NAS says: "The difficulty of establishing gene
involvement is compounded by the interaction of genes and by their
interaction with environmental factors."
While there is no known cure for
autism, there are therapies that doctors use. There are also an
increasingly vocal number of activists who believe society should
celebrate the differences of people with autism. The Autism
Liberation Front, a group founded in the US but with supporters in
the UK where about 530,000 people have autism, sells badges with the
slogan: "I am not a puzzle, I am a person."
Another group, Aspies for Freedom,
says AS and autism are "not negative and not always a disability".
Elsewhere, experts say people with AS can often learn tips about
improving their social interaction that most people learn largely
automatically.
In 2001 the electronic pop pioneer
Gary Numan claimed that his difficulty in social situations had led
him to believe he had AS. He said: "Polite conversation has never
been one of my strong points. Just recently I actually found out
that I'd got a mild form of Asperger's syndrome which basically
means I have trouble interacting with people. For years, I couldn't
understand why people thought I was arrogant, but now it all makes
more sense."
Does AS or autism make a person
more likely to commit suicide, as in the case of Burt Bacharach's
daughter? The NAS spokeswoman said it was difficult to answer
because the disorder affected people in different ways. "It's not a
mental disorder, it's a developmental disability. It is not a mental
health issue per se," she said.
But Dr Wing and others have
highlighted issues of psychiatric trauma and varying degrees of
depression among young adults with AS, something that seems related
to their awareness of their difference from others. One paper on the
subject claims that five out of 22 young adults with AS had tried to
take their lives.
Bacharach's daughter was born a
year after he and Dickinson were married. In their statement, the
former couple said their daughter had "lived a happy life in and
around Beverly Hills". She had studied geology at California
Lutheran University but poor eyesight had prevented her from
pursuing a career in it.
Since Nikki's death was announced,
internet forums have been filled with condolences for Bacharach.
Andre B wrote on the fans' website, A House Is Not A Homepage, that
he had met Nikki and her mother three years ago at a party
celebrating the birthday of the science fiction writer Ray Bradbury.
"She was a big fan of astronomy, and loved looking through
telescopes," he wrote. "I brought a telescope to Ray's party and
showed her and Angie Mars and the Andromeda galaxy. Nikki was
fascinated. She had a genuine, child-like sense of wonder about the
sky. Angie couldn't have been sweeter or more gracious. I'll never
forget that night. This is really sad news."
Asperger's Syndrome: Famous
sufferers
Asperger's was not fully recognised
as a syndrome until the early Nineties. But psychologists suggest
Albert Einstein, Vincent Van Gogh, Stanley Kubrick and Jane Austen
may all have been affected by the syndrome.
* GARY NUMAN
Numan was diagnosed with Asperger's
in 2001, 15 years after releasing the top 10 hit "Cars". "For years,
I couldn't understand why people thought I was arrogant, but now it
all makes a bit more sense," he said.
* SATOSHI TAJIRI
Tajiri, the creator of Pokemon, has
been diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome. He has been described by
Nintendo officials as incredibly creative but "reclusive" and
"eccentric," characteristics consistent with Asperger's.
* DAVID BELLAMY
The naturalist and TV presenter
Bellamy mentions in his autobiography that, although undiagnosed, he
believes he has a form of autism which may be Asperger's.
* VERNON SMITH
The Nobel-prize winning economist
has spoken out about the creative benefits of Asperger's. "I can
switch out and go into a concentrated mode and the world is
completely shut out," he said in a recent interview. "If I'm writing
something, nothing else exists."
Kate Thomas
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