( CNN ) -- The man who composed the pop hit `` You Light Up My Life '' ended his own life Sunday , New York police said . Joseph Brooks , 73 , was facing charges on 11 alleged rapes and sex assaults , New York Police Deputy Commissioner Paul Browne said . The Oscar-winning songwriter was found dead on a couch in his Manhattan home by a friend with whom he was supposed to have lunch at 12:30 p.m. Sunday , Browne said . A plastic dry cleaning bag and a towel were wrapped around his head , with a tube connected to a helium tank attached , he said . A suicide note was found nearby , he said . Brooks ' son , Nicholas Brooks , was charged in January with the murder of his ex-girlfriend , according to the Manhattan District Attorney 's office . The bruised body of swimsuit designer Sylvie Cachay , 33 , was found at a chic New York hotel last December , police said . The song , which was written as the title track for a movie , won an Oscar , a Golden Globe and a Grammy for Brooks . Debby Boone 's recording of `` You Light Up My Life '' was the number one song of 1977 on the Billboard pop chart . CNN 's Susan Candiotti contributed to this report .
Debby Boone 's faced rape and sex assault charges , police say . A friend found him dead in his Manhattan home 1977 . The songwriter left a suicide note , police say . `` You Light Up My Life '' was the top hit of Sunday .