Legendary Motown singer/songwriter Nick Ashford died Monday at a hospital in New York after a battle with throat cancer, according to his longtime friend, publicist Liz Rosenberg. He was 70.

Ashford and his wife Valerie Simpson -- referred to professionally as Ashford & Simpson -- wrote hits for artists such as Diana Ross ("Ain't No Mountain High Enough"), Marvin Gaye ("You're All I Need To Get By" with Tami Terrell), Ray Charles ("Let's Go Get Stoned") and Chaka Khan ("I'm Every Woman").

"His music is unmatched in terms of great songwriting," Earth, Wind and Fire's Verdine White said. Ashford & Simpson “had magic and that's what creates those wonderful hits, that magic.