Gerry Goffin, cowriter of numerous hits from the ’60s and ‘70s, died on Thursday of natural causes at the age of 75 in Los Angeles, according to media reports citing his wife, Michele Goffin.
Goffin wrote the lyrics to 1960s hits The Loco-Motion , Take Good Care Of My Baby and Pleasant Valley Sunday with his wife at the time, singer/songwriter Carol King. The two were married in 1959 and they continued to work together even after they got divorced in 1968.
“Gerry Goffin was my first love,” said King in a statement posted on Facebook. “He had a profound impact on my life and the rest of the world.”
The list of hits composed by Goffin, born in New York in 1939, and King, who went on to her own solo career as a performer, spans several decades and music genres.
Among their other hits are Up on the Roof , ( You Make Me Feel Like ) A Natural Woman and Will You Love Me Tomorrow . Seven songs Goffin cowrote reached number one on the charts and dozens of his songs were Top 40 hits. He also wrote the Theme From Mahogany ( Do You Know Where You’re Going To ), sung by Diana Ross, and Saving All My Love for You , sung by Whitney Houston.
Goffin went on to co-produce songs recorded by Rod Stewart, Gladys Knight and Whitney Houston, according to Entertainment Weekly .
