man, i didn't find out about this till just now while flippin around on fark.com...the article/source is here:

Soul star McFadden dies aged 56

Soul star Gene McFadden, best known for singing and co-writing the 1979 hit Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now, has died from cancer at the age of 56.

The R&B star, half of the songwriting duo McFadden and Whitehead, died at his home in Philadelphia, it has emerged.

Discovered by Otis Redding, McFadden and Whitehead wrote a string of hits, including Back Stabbers, For the Love of Money and Wake Up Everybody.

The musician is survived by a wife and four children.

John Whitehead was shot dead in Philadelphia in 2004, while changing a tyre on his car.

"Their talent was indispensable and their music capabilities were uniquely flexible," said a statement by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, founders of soul music label Philadelphia International Records.

"Not only could they write sensational singles but they could write amazing album songs, too."

Platinum sales

School friends McFadden and Whitehead grew up in Philadelphia, forming The Epsilons in their teens and singing backing vocals on a two-year tour with Otis Redding in the 1960s.

In the 1970s the pair signed on as in-house songwriters at Philadelphia International where their combined songwriting talents achieved widespread gold and platinum sales.

Subsequent years saw them working with music stars including James Brown, Gloria Gaynor, Gladys Knight and Stevie Wonder.

Ain't No Stoppin' Us now, which also featured keyboard player Jerry Cohen, became a global hit in 1979 entering the top 10 on both sides of the Atlantic.

The track sold more than eight million records and was nominated for a Grammy Award.

It since been covered by singers including the late Luther Vandross and rapper Big Daddy Kane.