Deke Richards, a member of famed Motown songwriting, arranging and producing teams behind such hits as The Jackson 5’s “I Want You Back” and Diana Ross & The Supremes’ “Love Child,” has died. He was 68.
Richards, whose real name was Dennis Lussier, died Sunday at a hospice in Bellingham, Wash., after a battle with esophageal cancer, Universal Music Enterprises reported.
As leader of “The Corporation,” which also included Berry Gordy, Alphonzo Mizell and Freddie Perren, Richards wrote and produced many hits for The Jackson 5, including their first three singles, all of which hit No. 1 in 1970: “I Want You Back,” from the album Diana Ross Presents The Jackson 5; “ABC,” which knocked The Beatles’ “Let It Be” out of the top spot; and “The Love You Save.”
Earlier, as a member of “The Clan,” another hitmaking arm at Motown, Richards (with R. Dean Taylor, Frank Wilson and Pam Sawyer) wrote as their first song “Love Child” for Diana Ross & The Supremes. Released in September 1968, the song — which tackled the controversial topic of illegitimate children — eventually replaced The Beatles’ long-reigning “Hey Jude” at the top of the Billboard Hot 100.
Richards’ résumé also includes “Mama’s Pearl,” “Maybe Tomorrow” and “Goin’ Back to Indiana” from The Jackson 5; Ross’ solo single “I’m Still Waiting”; and songs for Bobby Darin, Martha Reeves & The Vandellas, Bonnie Bramlett and Ginette Reno.
Richards’ love of music kept him involved with a variety of projects throughout his life, including the production of The Jackson 5’s “Come and Get It: The Rare Pearls,” a 2012 release that featured rare and unreleased tracks.
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