People are still mourning the passing of Motown hitmaker Lamont Dozier, after the news of his death was confirmed by his son Lamont Dozier Jr on Instagram.
As part of the Holland, Dozier, Holland songwriting team, who penned songs for The Supremes, The Four Tops and The Isley Brothers, as well as Marvin Gaye and Martha and the Vandellas, he many number one records, with hits which include Baby Love, Nowhere to Run, How Sweet It Is (to Be Loved by You) and You Can't Hurry Love, and also won Grammy awards.
Alongside a picture of the two of them together, Lamont Jr wrote: "Rest in Heavenly Peace, Dad!" Along with Brian Holland, Dozier (senior) served as the musical arranger and producer, while their friend and colleague Eddie Holland focused on the lyrics and vocal production.
They shaped the famous Detroit label's influential sound, with tracks such as This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak for You), Reach Out I'll Be There and Heat Wave. Chic guitar legend, Nile Rodgers, led the tributes, labelling Dozier - who later moved in to musical theatre - as a "music composing genius".
Simply Red’s Mick Hucknall, who worked with Dozier, described him as "one of the greatest songwriters of all time".
Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood said: "Ah - God Bless Lamont. His music will live on. While DJ Tony Blackburn posted: "To me he was Mr Motown... thanks for writing so many brilliant songs which will be played forever."
Grammy-nominated producer Brandon Williams thanked the late songwriter for "all you did for me and for the world at large... you definitely made this place better," he wrote. Songwriters Brian Wilson and Billy Bragg, as well as DJs Dave Pearce and Lorraine King also paid their respects.
Born in Detroit in 1941, Dozier recorded a few unsuccessful records for different local labels before teaming up with the Holland brothers as the main songwriting and production team for Berry Gordy's Motown Records in 1962.
He once explained their successful but often arduous songwriting process, saying: "We'd get there at 9am and we would sometimes work until 3am. It was blood, sweat and tears. We pounded on the piano and put our ideas down on a little recorder and just worked and worked them out until we came up with things."
When asked what would come first, he added: "Sometimes a basic melody, or a title. I was considered the ideas man. Like, I had a bassline for [the Four Tops'] I Can't Help Myself.
“That phrase; 'Sugar pie, honey bunch' was something my grandfather used to say when I was a kid, and it just stayed with me and went in the song. Lots of childhood memories came back to me and I started using them as song titles."
After finishing working with Motown Records in 1967, Holland-Dozier-Holland founded Invictus Records and Hot Wax Records, producing further hits for the likes of Freda Payne, Honey Cone and Chairmen of the Board, as well as 100 Proof Aged in Soul. Dozier, who left the songwriting trio in 1973, went on to record a number of albums as a performer himself, containing songs like Going Back to My Roots, later covered by Odyssey, and Trying to Hold on to My Woman.
He collaborated with Phil Collins on the song Two Hearts, for the movie soundtrack for Buster, which won a Grammy and a Golden Globe Award as well as an Oscar nomination. Another English singer, Alison Moyet, had another hit with the Dozier-penned track Invisible.
Dozier and the Holland brothers were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990, and later received their own stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
He was 81.
