American songwriter Nickolas Ashford, who penned rhythm and blues hits such as Ain't No Mountain High Enough and I'm Every Woman with wife Valerie Simpson, has died at 70.
Ashford, who was being treated for cancer, died at a New York hospital.
A native of South Carolina, Ashford met Simpson in the 1960s at White Rock Baptist Church in Harlem, after he moved to New York to pursue a career in entertainment, Reuters reports.
Simpson played the piano and sang in a church choir, which Ashford soon joined.
The two began writing songs together for Mowtown and had their breakthrough hit in 1966 when Ray Charles released their composition Let's Go Get Stoned.
It was the beginning of a partnership that saw the duo marry in 1974 and write a string of hits. In 2002, they were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Ashford is survived by Simpson and their daughters, Nicole and Asia.
