Nick Ashford, half of Ashford and Simpson, dead at 70, had throat cancer

Soul legend Nick Ashford, half of the dynamic songwriting duo, Ashford and Simpson, is dead at the age of 70.

Ashford, who lived in Manhattan, died Monday, August 22, 2011, in a New York Hospital.

At the time of his death, Nick Ashford was being treated for throat cancer, but the official cause of his demise has not been released.

Nick leaves behind two daughters and his equally talented wife, Valerie Simpson, who is credited with co-creating some of the best songs ever written.

As a young boy growing up in Chicago in the 70s and 80s - a time when radio was less segregated - I was exposed to every musical genre known to mankind.

Through my home-schooled musical education, I developed an affinity for stellar songwriting and sophisticated musical compositions.

Among the many songwriters and musicians that I admire, Ashford and Simpson hold a prominent position on that list.

Although they gained commercial crossover success with their 1984 hit, "Solid (As A Rock)", Ashford and Simpson have much brighter feathers in their musical catalog.

Songs like, "Love Don't Always Make It Right", "Is It Still Good to You?", "Found A Cure", "Stuff Like That", and "It Seems To Hang On", were far greater musical accomplishments; not to mention the mind-numbingly brilliant songs they wrote for Diana Ross, Ray Charles, and Chaka Khan.

To prove how far-reaching their influences are, the late Amy Winehouse credited Ashford and Simpson for a sampling of "Ain't No Mountain High Enough", which she used in her song, "Tears Dry On Their Own".