Music

Aretha Franklin, Diana Ross songwriter Nickolas Ashford dies, aged 70

Published Tuesday, Aug 23 2011, 10:31 BST | By Lewis Corner | 8 comments

Nickolas Ashford has passed away at the age of 70 in a hospital in New York.

The songwriter died after a lengthy battle with throat cancer yesterday afternoon.

Ashford was part of a songwriting duo with his wife Valerie Simpson. Together, they wrote hits including Diana Ross's 'Reach Out And Touch', Aretha Franklin's 'Ain't No Mountain High Enough' and Chaka Khan's 'I'm Every Woman'.

The pair also had their own music careers, releasing a number of albums throughout the 1970s and 1980s.

Ashford and Simpson were inducted into the Songwriters Hall Of Fame back in 2002, 36 years after their breakthrough hit, Ray Charles's 'Let's Go Get Stoned', in 1966.

Alicia Keys paid tribute to Ashford on Twitter, saying: "I'm so sad that he's gone. What a legacy of infectious music."

Verdine White of Earth, Wind and Fire added: "His music is unmatched in terms of great songwriting. They had magic and that's what creates those wonderful hits, that magic. Without those songs, those artists wouldn't have been able to go to the next level."

Watch Aretha Franklin perform 'Ain't No Mountain High Enough' live below: