R.I.P.: Lamont Dozier, Iconic Motown Songwriter-Singer

Lamont Dozier 1941-2022

Motown legend Lamont Dozier — the singer-songwriter-producer mastermind behind iconic hits such as “Baby Love” and “Two Hearts” — has died at age 81. The music icon’s passing was confirmed in a Tuesday Instagram post by his son Lamont Dozier Jr., reports The NY Post.

Cause of death is not known at this time.

Born 1941 in Detroit Michigan, the pioneering songwriter first gained acclaim after joining the legendary Motown Records in 1962 along with songwriting brothers Brian and Eddie Holland. Together, they helped create Detroit’s signature “Motown sound.”

The “Motown musketeers” collaborated on over 200 songs during their illustrious career, writing career-making singles for such iconic bands as The Four Tops, The Supremes, and The Isley Brothers.

Holland-Dozier-Holland’s greatest hits included “Where Did Our Love Go,” “Baby Love,” “You Can’t Hurry Love,” “Reach Out I’ll Be There,” and other genre-defining songs.

“We were as surprised as anybody else when we came up with so many songs,” Dozier told the The Guardian in a 2015 interview.

He said the trio would often arrive at the studio at 9am and work until 3am, cranking out song after song, which anywhere from 15 minutes to 15 days.

Hoping to create positive tunes to contrast the dark times, the Motown masterminds are known for combining dark lyrics with a paradoxically upbeat tempo.

Holland-Dozier-Holland amassed a host of accolades during their storied career, notably getting inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990.