VALERIE SIMPSON Still Struggles With NICKOLAS ASHFORD’s Death.
Singer/songwriter Valerie Simpson has said she still struggles to come to terms with the 2011 death of her husband and longtime musical collaborator Nickolas Ashford because she feels like a part of her died with him!
Ashford lost his battle with throat cancer in August 2011, only five months after he was diagnosed, and the mum of two, who was married to the star for 37 years, admits she was in denial until the very end.
Recalling their final moments together during an interview on U.S. TV talk show ‘Oprah’s Next Chapter‘, which aired on Sunday (11th November, 2012), she said:
“‘My window was closing,’ he said. ‘There is something rising in me and I can’t hold it anymore.’ I said, ‘Well, we’re all going to make a transition,’ I said, ‘but can we just ask for an extension of time?’… He just shook his head and that was it… And the next morning he made that transition.”
And the 66 year-old reveals that not only was she left mourning her husband, but also their artistic partnership as Motown songwriting duo Ashford & Simpson.
She added:
“When he passed it was like the passing of Ashford & Simpson for sure, so it was almost like seeing yourself pass away while you’re still here… Ashford & Simpson can no longer be, so part of you has passed away.”
But Simpson is slowly starting to accept the death of her husband, saying:
“I am growing every day, because truly somebody did pull the rug out from underneath me… He was an extraordinary man, it took me now realising what I had, I mean I knew it was good, but I had something great, somebody that allowed me to be who I am, cheering me on, watching me grow, a champion, and I for him.”
There’s no doubt that they were one of the best music duos in the last 30 or so years, and in and among all the great work, both vocally and lyrically, there are a couple of songs which have always stood out. Have a listen to them below.
