Songwriter and producer Norman Jesse Whitfield, who is credited as being one of the creators of the Motown sound, died on 16 September, 2008.

He had been suffering from various illnesses, including diabetes.

Mr Whitfield is best known for his work with Berry Gordy's Motown label in the '60s. He was also a major part of the decade's sub-genre of psychedlic soul.

He was born in New York in 1943 but moved with his family to Michigan in his teens.

When he was 19 he started to regularly visit Motown's Hitsville USA offices trying to get a chance of work.

Berry Gordy admired his determination and took him on in the quality control department before eventually allowing him to join the writing staff.

However his big break came when he became the main producer for The Temptations, taking over from Smokey Robinson.

For the next seven years he produced most of The Temptations' work and eventually teamed up wirth lyrisict Barrett Strong. Together they wrote material for The Temptations and for other Motown artists including Gladys Knight and the Pips and Marvin Gaye .

In fact both of these artists recorded hit versions of the Whitfield-produced composition I Heard It Through The Grapevine. The Pips version was the best-selling Motown single ever to that point, but was replaced a year later by Gaye's version of it.

In 1973 the producer left Motown to create a record label under his name and soon after The Undisputed Truth enjoyed a smash hit with Rose Royce's Car Wash.