Nick Ashford died Monday, August 23 2011 of throat cancer. He was 70 years old. Nick was raised in Willow Run, Michigan (near Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor) and along with his wife Valerie Simpson, was inducted into the Songwriter's Hall of Fame. 

Their compositions were recorded by Ronnie Milsap ("Never Had It So Good"), Maxine Brown ("One Step At A Time"), as well as the Shirelles and Chuck Jackson. Another of the trio's songs "Let's Go Get Stoned" gave Ray Charles a number one U.S. R&B hit in 1966. That same year Ashford & Simpson joined Motown where their best-known songs included "Ain't No Mountain High Enough", "You're All I Need To Get By", "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing", and "Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand)". As performers, Ashford and Simpson's best-known song is "Solid" (1984 US and 1985 UK). The duo was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2002. (from Wikipedia)