Nick Ashford, half of the R&B singing and songwriting duo Ashford and Simpson, passed away Monday in New York City, the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday. He was 70.

Ashford had battled throat cancer, though a cause of death was not immediately announced.

Ashford, born in Fairfield, S.C., and his wife Valerie Simpson were behind some of Motown’s biggest hits, including “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” “Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing” and “You’re All I Need to Get By.”

The two met in 1964 in a Harlem church when Ashford was homeless and Simpson was 17 years old; they soon began writing songs together.

The 70-year-old is survived by his wife and two children.

To read more, go to WSJ.com.