Norman Whitfield, Motown producer, dies at 67
The producer for the Temptations and the writer of such hits as 'Papa Was a Rolling Stone' had long struggled with diabetes and other ailments.
Norman Whitfield, the Grammy-winning songwriter and forward-thinking producer who helped shape the direction of R&B and soul music at Motown Records in the 1960s and 1970s, died Tuesday. He was 67.
Whitfield, the co-writer of dozens of Motown hits and producer of most of the recordings by the Temptations, died at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, reportedly of complications from his long struggle with diabetes. He also had a history of heart and kidney ailments.
"Norman Whitfield was one of the most prolific songwriters and record producers of our time," fellow Motown Records veteran Smokey Robinson said in a statement issued Wednesday. "He will live forever through his great music."
Norman Whitfield obituary: An obituary in the Sept. 18 California section on Motown songwriter and producer Norman Whitfield said he was 67, born in 1941. He was 68, born in 1940, according to family members.
Whitfield wrote, often in collaboration with Barrett Strong, or produced such era-defining hits as "I Heard It Through the Grapevine," "Ain't Too Proud To Beg," "Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me)," and "Papa Was a Rolling Stone." The latter earned Whitfield one of his two Grammy Awards as a songwriter and composer.
His ambitious production work helped move Motown from the catchy love songs that typified the label's output in the early and mid-'60s into social commentary reflecting volatile issues at the heart of the civil rights movement.
He also worked with other Motown acts including Gladys Knight, Edwin Starr and the Undisputed Truth. In the 1970s, he left Motown and started his own Whitfield label, and went to No. 1 again with Rose Royce's disco-era "Car Wash," from the film score that snagged Whitfield his second Grammy.
Whitfield was born in New York City and was a teenager when his family relocated to Detroit, where Berry Gordy Jr. launched Motown Records.
In 2005, Whitfield pleaded guilty to tax evasion and was fined $25,000 for failing to report more than $4 million in income. He was also sentenced to home detention rather than jail because of his failing health.
randy.lewis@latimes.com
