`UNFORGETTABLE' SONGWRITER IRVING GORDON.

Byline: The New York Times

Irving Gordon, who wrote the Nat ``King'' Cole hit ``Unforgettable,'' died Dec. 1 at his home in Los Angeles. He was 81.

Gordon grew up in Brooklyn, N.Y., and studied the violin as a child. While working in resort hotels in the Catskills Mountains, he began writing parody lyrics for hotel shows.

In the 1930s, under contract to Mills Music, he wrote lyrics for the company's artists, including Duke Ellington.

Gordon added lyrics to Ellington's ``Prelude to a Kiss.'' He also began composing songs, including ``Me, Myself and I,'' recorded by Billie Holiday, and ``What Will I Tell My Heart?'' recorded by Bing Crosby.

In 1944, Gordon moved to Los Angeles, where he continued his prolific writing of songs. His thousands of compositions include ``Be Anything, but Darling Be Mine,'' ``Mr. and Mississippi,'' ``Delaware,'' and ``Throw Momma From the Train a Kiss.''

His best-known song, ``Unforgettable,'' was recorded by Cole in 1951. Four decades later, the singer's daughter, Natalie, added her voice to the original recording, creating a duet with her father, who died in 1965.

The recording swept the 1992 Grammy Awards, winning for best album, record and song, as well as receiving awards for arranging and engineering.

Gordon is survived by a brother, Arnold, of Los Angeles; two sons, William, of Los Altos, and Richard, of Santa Cruz; and a grandson.