George David Weiss, who helped write chart-topping pop hits including Can’t Help Falling in Love and The Lion Sleeps Tonight, has died.

His wife, Claire, said he died of natural causes at his home in Oldwick, New Jersey. He was 89.

Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley were among the artists who recorded songs Mr Weiss wrote or co-wrote.

He also collaborated on several Broadway musicals.

Mr Weiss was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1984.

He was president of the Songwriters Guild of America from 1982 to 2000 and often testified before government agencies, mostly on copyright issues.

Mr Weiss also helped write What a Wonderful World, which was a hit for Louis Armstrong. A Juilliard School of Music ­graduate who played the violin, piano, saxophone and clarinet, Mr Weiss was a military bandleader in World War II. He soon gained wide recognition as a songsmith with success over the next few decades.

Broadway musicals he collaborated on included Mr Wonderful, which starred Sammy Davis Jun, and Maggie Flynn, featuring Shirley Jones and Jack Cassidy.