Barrett Strong, Motown's First Hitmaker, Dead at 81

The trailblazer passed away Sunday, Jan. 29, in Detroit.

Barrett Strong, legendary Motown singer-songwriter, has died at the age of 81.

The news of his Jan. 29 death was confirmed early Sunday afternoon by the Motown Museum on Twitter. "It is with great sadness that we share the passing of legendary @ClassicMotown singer and songwriter Barrett Strong," the entity announced, adding, "The voice behind @motown's first hit, the iconic “Money (That’s What I Want),” was born in West Point, Mississippi on February 5, 1941 and was raised in Detroit."

The tweet included a classic black-and-white photo of the artist from his early career.

In 1959, the musician cemented Motown as a force in the industry with his record, “Money (That’s What I Want),” the label's very first hit track of many that would follow.

Motown founder Berry Gordy issued a statement detailing Strong's accomplishments with the famed label. "I am saddened to hear of the passing of Barrett Strong, one of my earliest artists, and the man who sang my first big hit 'Money (That’s What I Want)' in 1959. Barrett was not only a great singer and piano player, but he, along with his writing partner Norman Whitfield, created an incredible body of work, primarily with the Temptations," he wrote.

Gordy continued: "Their hit songs were revolutionary in sound and captured the spirit of the times like 'Cloud Nine' and the still relevant, 'Ball of Confusion (That’s What the World is Today).' My heartfelt condolences go out to his family and friends. Barrett is an original member of the Motown Family and will be missed by all of us."

Among his other most notable accomplishments are iconic songs he co-wrote with Motown hitmaker Norman Whitfield, including: “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” for Marvin Gaye and Gladys Knight & the Pips, “War” for Edwin Starr, the Undisputed Truth’s “Smiling Faces Sometimes” and a wealth of material for the Temptations—“I Wish It Would Rain,” “Just My Imagination,” “Cloud Nine,” “Psychedelic Shack” and “Papa Was a Rolling Stone,” for which Strong earned a Grammy Award.

His song “Money” went on to be covered by several popular bands such as the Beatles (1963), the Flying Lizards (1979) and the Rolling Stones (1964), to name a few.

In addition to the Grammy, Strong was also honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Association of Songwriters in 1990 and a Songwriters Hall of Fame induction in 2004.

Strong had "little but positive" memories of his songwriting heyday when looking back on his career during a 2016 interview. “It was a great time,” he recalled to Billboard. “We were just kids, and we did it for the fun, not the money. We enjoyed being at the studio all day, working.”