Celebrity

Les Waas dead: Songwriter for iconic Mister Softee ice cream jingle was 94

Published

2 years ago

March 21, 2022

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Mister Softee

A Mister Softee ice cream truck makes its way through the streets of Brooklyn, New York, Monday June 18, 2007.

You may not recognize his name, but you’ve probably had his music stuck in your head at some point.

The Associated Press reports Les Waas, the songwriter for the iconic Mister Softee jingle heard in thousands of ice cream trucks, has died. He was 94.

The Philadelphia native died April 19 at Abington Hospice in Warminster, Pennsylvania, according to Goldsteins’ Rosenberg’s Raphael-Sacks funeral home.

According to Broadcast Pioneers, Waas wrote and produced nearly, 1,000 jingles for advertisers, including the Holiday Inn, U.S. Coast Guard, Acme Markets, Breyer’s, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Department of Virginia Tourism and Melrose Diner. He even composed two official theme songs for the Philadelphia Phillies baseball team.

But he’ll best be remembered for the Mister Softee song, officially titled “Jingle and Chimes,” that first aired as a radio commercial in 1960. More than five decades later, it’s still played today on nearly 600 ice cream trucks and at 350 franchise dealers in 15 states, including New York.

NJ.com reports Waas was an Olney High School graduate and World War II Army Air Corps pilot who became known for drawing cartoons and playing practical jokes. He founded the Procrastinators’ Club of America, which during the Vietnam War era marched at City Hall to fight for an end to the War of 1812.

Besides writing jingles, he also worked in advertising as an artist, designing logos for Colonial Village Meat Markets., The Simco Co., Diet III, Super Value Beverage Stores, Action Duplication, and various restaurants and auto dealers. Waas also wrote articles for The Philadelphia Inquirer, Bulletin and Daily News, and for several national publications.

Waas’ wife, Sylvia, died in 2006. He is survived by his children, Sherri Waas Shunfenthal and Murry Waas.

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Les Waas dead: Songwriter for iconic Mister Softee ice cream jingle was 94

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