The music world lost two legends on Monday. Jerry Leiber, who wrote hits for Elvis Presley, Ben E. King, and the Coasters, died at 78 in Los Angeles. His first hit, Elvis Presley’s “Hound Dog,” took him and songwriting partner Mike Stoller to the top of the charts when he was only 17. Nick Ashford, who with his writing partner and wife Valerie Simpson, penned some of Motown’s biggest hits, including “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” died in New York at age 70. Ashford and Simpson wrote hits for Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, Diana Ross, Smokey Robinson, the Marvelettes, Teddy Pendergrass, Chaka Khan, and Marvin Gaye.
The story you just read is available to read for free because thousands of listeners and readers like you generously support our nonprofit newsroom. Every day, the reporters and producers at The World are hard at work bringing you human-centered news from across the globe. But we can’t do it without you: We need your support to ensure we can continue this work for another year.
When you make a gift of $10 or more a month, we’ll invite you to a virtual behind-the-scenes tour of our newsroom to thank you for being with The World.