First it was the alleged murder of the lead guitarist of Teenage Head.

Then Olivia Newton-John finally succumbed to the cancer that had plagued her for decades.

We also learned of the death of the Seekers' lead vocalist Judith Durham. 

And now, thanks to The Oldies Music Board, I sadly learn of the death of one of the great songwriters of the 20th century. Lamont Dozier, of Holland-Dozier-Holland fame and the genius team behind an endless number of Motown hits, has passed away at 81. 

This guy was part of the soundtrack of so many lives, it's almost incalculable. Here's just a few of the hits he and his colleagues penned:

Where Did Our Love Go? - Supremes
Heat Wave - Martha & The Vandellas
Baby Love - The Supremes
Reach Out I'll Be There - The Four Tops
Baby, I Need Your Loving - The Four Tops
Stop! In The Name Of Love - Supremes
Back In My Arms Again - Supremes
I Can't Help Myself - The Four Tops
This Old Heart Of Mine - Isley Brothers
You Can't Hurry Love - Supremes
Jimmy Mack - Martha & The Vandellas
Band of Gold - Freda Payne
Bernadette - The Four Tops

The infamous story about the composition of one of those tunes, "Stop! In The Name of Love," is well known but is highlighted in the story below. It starts when his girlfriend discovered Dozier was seeing another woman.  

“She was pretty heated up because I was quite the ladies’ man at that time and I’d been cheating on her,” Dozier told the Guardian. “So she started telling me off and swinging at me until I said, ‘Stop! In the name of love!’ And as soon as I’d said it I heard a cash register in my head and laughed. My girlfriend didn’t think it was very amusing: we broke up. The only ones who were happy about it were the Supremes.”

Hard to imagine but the titles above are just a partial list! I'd almost dare to say that, besides the Beatles, the mid-60s would not have been the incredible music era it was without this guy and the Holland brothers. And you might not have ever even heard of The Supremes without them. 

What an incredible legacy. 

Billboard: Motown Songwriter-Producer Lamont Dozier Dead at 81