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Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing

Half of a legendary songwriting duo has died. 

Nick Ashford, who with his wife Valerie Simpson, wrote hits for others (including Marvin Gaye, Ray Charles, Diana Ross, Chaka Khan) and themselves ("Is it Still Good to You?", "Solid", "So, So Satisfied", "Found a Cure") for decades as Ashford and Simpson, passed away Monday at the age of 70 from throat cancer.

Ashford and Simpson were a rarity among celebrity marriages. They married 10 years after they began working together, and stayed married--continually-- for 37 years.  They were living testimony to the song they penned in the 60s: "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing".  The Real Thing endures.

Here's Valerie singing Happy Birthday to Nick a few months ago at their restaurant, Sugar Bar, in Harlem.  R.I.P Nick.  Thank you.


2 comments:

j said...

This is very sad. But what a great happy birthday that was (and it's gotten me teary, too).

MtnGrl said...

I agree! Apparently it was an annual treat. I saw a video from 2010 where she was singing about him still 'rocking her boat' after all these years. ;-D

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