• Faith: Christian
• Career: Musician
• Birthday:  December 12, 1940

Dionne Warwick is an American singer, actress and television personality whose career has spanned more than six decades. Known for hits including "Walk On By," "I Say a Little Prayer" and "That's What Friends Are For," Warwick became one of the most successful female vocalists of the 20th century. Her distinctive voice and longtime collaborations with songwriters Burt Bacharach and Hal David helped establish her as a major figure in American popular music.

Warwick was born Marie Dionne Warrick on Dec. 12, 1940, in East Orange, New Jersey, to Mancel Warrick and Lee Drinkard Warrick. Music and Christianity were central to her upbringing. Her mother managed the Drinkard Singers, a well-known gospel group made up of members of Warwick's extended family, while her father worked as a Pullman porter, chef and record promoter.

Warwick began singing in church as a child and later performed with her younger sister, Dee Dee Warwick, and other singers in a gospel group called the Gospelaires. She graduated from East Orange High School and studied music education at the Hartt College of Music in Connecticut.

While singing background vocals during recording sessions in New York, Warwick attracted the attention of composer Burt Bacharach. Her partnership with Bacharach and lyricist Hal David produced a remarkable series of hits beginning with "Don't Make Me Over" in 1962.

Throughout the 1960s and early 1970s, Warwick recorded songs including "Walk On By," "Anyone Who Had a Heart," "Alfie," "I Say a Little Prayer" and "Do You Know the Way to San Jose?" Her sophisticated vocal style became closely associated with the Bacharach-David songwriting team.

Warwick experienced another major period of success in the 1980s. In 1985, she joined Elton John, Gladys Knight and Stevie Wonder to record "That's What Friends Are For," a charity single that raised money and awareness in the fight against AIDS. The song became one of Warwick's signature recordings.

Over her career, Warwick has won six Grammy Awards and placed dozens of songs on the Billboard Hot 100. She received a Kennedy Center Honor in 2023 and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2024.

Warwick married actor and drummer William Elliott in 1966. The marriage initially lasted less than a year, but the couple reconciled and remarried later in 1967. They had two sons, David Elliott and Damon Elliott, both of whom pursued careers in music. Warwick and Elliott divorced in 1975.

Warwick is also part of a prominent musical family. Her sister Dee Dee became a successful recording artist, while gospel singer Cissy Houston was her aunt and Whitney Houston was her cousin.

Beyond music, Warwick has supported numerous charitable causes. She served as a United Nations Global Ambassador for the Food and Agriculture Organization and became particularly associated with AIDS awareness and fundraising.

Warwick has remained active well into her 80s. Rather than formally retiring from music, she has continued performing and pursuing new projects. In March 2026, the six-time Grammy winner performed at Atlanta Symphony Hall and discussed plans for additional recordings, including new collaborations.

Dionne Warwick's Religious Beliefs

Warwick is a Christian whose faith dates to her childhood. Her grandfather, the Rev. Elzae Warrick, was a minister, and Warwick has said that much of her childhood was spent in church. She sang "Jesus Loves Me" as her first church solo at age six and developed her musical abilities through gospel music.

Although Warwick became famous primarily for secular pop music, she has repeatedly said she never abandoned her Christian beliefs. "Church always was and always will be a part of my life," she told Christianity Today in 2008. She described gospel music as "the Bible in the form of song" and said her grandfather encouraged her mainstream career because she was using the talent God had given her.

Warwick has also recorded gospel music throughout her career. She released the gospel album "The Magic of Believing" in 1968 and returned to the genre with "Why We Sing" in 2008. She has described the title song of the latter album as her "personal testimony."

Asked what message she would offer Christians, Warwick emphasized the importance of trusting God. "Faith is a mighty, mighty thing," she said, adding that faith had always been part of her life and that she was "never without it."