Man Who Inspired Mad Men and ‘Taught the World to Sing’ Dies

Bill Backer, who taught “the world to sing” with the jingle for an iconic 1971 Coca-Cola commercial, died Friday in Warrenton, Va., at the age of 89.

Backer built a career creating jingles and slogans for brands that included Coca-Cola, Miller Lite, Campbell’s Soup and Oreo, the New York Times reported on Monday.

The 1971 Coca-Cola ad—which became a hit record and inspired a 1991 Super Bowl commercial—includes the famous line, “I’d like to buy the world a Coke and keep it company.” It notably appeared in the series finale of Mad Men, when Don Draper is inspired to create the ad, which showrunner Matthew Weiner described as “the greatest commercial ever made.”

“If you come up with what’s basically a little hymn to getting the world together, it’s a contribution,” Backer said in an interview with the Times in 1993.

Backer is survived by his wife, Ann Mudge.