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Motown Legend Lamont Dozier Dies at 81, Family Confirms

Dozier was the middle namesake of the Holland-Dozier-Holland team, who helped popularize Motown music in the 1960s and beyond.

Lamont Dozier, a Motown songwriter and producer who helped popularize the genre in the 1960s and beyond, has died at 81, his family confirmed Tuesday. Dozier was the middle namesake of the famed Holland-Dozier-Holland team, who wrote and produced hits like “Baby I Need Your Loving” for the Four Tops, “Jimmy Mack” for Martha and the Vandellas, and “How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)” for Marvin Gaye. “I like to call Holland-Dozier-Holland ‘tailors of music.’ They could take any artist, call them into their office, talk to them, listen to them and write them a top 10 song,” Duke Fakir, the last surviving member of Four Tops, told the AP.