Ashford & Simpson were an American R&B music duo who had a lot of hit singles dating to the mid 1960s and continuing through the early 1990s. The duo consisted of Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson. Ashford was born May 4, 1941 and died due to throat cancer, August 22, 2011; Simpson was on August 26, 1946. Singers associated with Ashford & Simpson included Marvin Gaye and Diana Ross.