Motown Legend Nick Ashford Has Died
Nick Ashford, the Motown songwriting legend, has died.
Ashford, who was part of the songwriting duo Ashford & Simpson, died at the age of 70 in New York City on Monday. He was suffering from throat cancer.
Motown founder, Berry Gordy, said in a statement, “I am shocked and saddened to hear about the passing of Nickolas Ashford.”
Ashford and his wife Simpson saw much success throughout the 1960s and ‘70s and they coined songs such as the ultra successful “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” and “I’m Every Woman.”
The songwriting couple was inducted into the Songwriting Hall of Fame in 2002.
Ashford met Simpson in New York City when he walked into a Harlem church reportedly seeking food. Simpson was on the piano and a friendship developed between the two artists that eventually turned into both a marriage and a legendary songwriting career.
Artists across the country are mourning the loss.
Alicia Keys tweeted, “I’m so sad that he’s gone.....So many of the greatest are going to a greater place.... What a legacy of infectious music.”
According to the New York Times, at the Sugar Bar on Tuesday, a young soul singer named Jermaine Paul paused his set to praise Mr. Ashford saying, “Put one hand in the air for Nick, ya’ll. We feel him here tonight. There was something special about that man. There was something about it when he looked you in the eyes. It’s like he saw your soul, like he saw who you are, and when a good friend looks in your eyes, he accepts you, and that’s the kind of man he was. Or is. He’s here tonight, ain’t he?”
At the bar a table was decorated with flowers and a sign saying, “R.I.P. Soul Legend. Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.”
The Sugar Bar is located on New York City’s Upper West Side and was established by Ashford and his wife in 1996. The bar has open mike nights every Tuesday and Thursday and has been host to famous guests such as Stevie Wonder, Michael Douglas, and Freddie Jackson.
Funeral and memorial service arrangements for the artist have not been announced yet.
