Songwriting legend Norman Whitfield has died at the age of 65. He had been treated for complications from diabetes. A few weeks ago he fell into a coma, but eventually recovered.
Whitfield was only 19 in 1963 when he joined the staff of Motown and would become one of the label’s premiere songwriters. Classics including Ain’t Too Proud To Beg, Pride and Joy, Get Ready, Heard it Through the Grapevine, Papa Was a Rolling Stone were just a few the songs that he penned during his first 10 years with Motown.
In 1973, Whitfield started his own label Whitfield Records. Even though he had success through Rose Royce and their hit Car Wash by way of MCA records, his own label disbanded. In the early 1980’s he returned to Motown.
Information from Wikipedia.com contributed to this report.
