1. Gerry Goffin was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990, with Carole King.
17 Facts About Gerry Goffin
2.
Gerry Goffin enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserve after graduating from Brooklyn Technical High School.
3.
Gerry Goffin added the words to the tune written by Sedaka and Howard Greenfield, who both worked under Don Kirshner at the Aldon music publishing company in Manhattan; the single's B-side, "A Very Special Boy", was a Gerry Goffin-King composition.
4.
The partnership's breakthrough hit was "Will You Love Me Tomorrow", for which Gerry Goffin wrote the lyrics.
5.
In 1964, Gerry Goffin fathered a daughter with singer Jeanie Reavis, but he and King remained together for several years before divorcing in 1969.
6.
Gerry Goffin worked successfully with other composers in the early 1960s, including Barry Mann and Jack Keller.
7.
Gerry Goffin co-wrote three songs for the soundtrack to Grace of My Heart, a 1996 movie whose principal character's life paralleled that of Carole King in many ways.
8.
Gerry Goffin described Dylan as "sort of like a god to me".
9.
Gerry Goffin was one of the first people to take notice of Kelly Clarkson's talent and had hired her to do demo work before she auditioned for American Idol in 2002.
10.
Gerry Goffin was married to Carole King between 1959 and 1969; they had two daughters, singer-songwriter Louise Goffin and Sherry Goffin Kondor.
11.
Gerry Goffin had a daughter, Dawn, with Jeanie Reavis.
12.
Gerry Goffin married Barbara Behling in the early 1970s and had a son, Jesse Dean Goffin, in 1976.
13.
Gerry Goffin then married songwriter Ellen Minasian in the 1980s and had one daughter, Lauren, in 1984.
14.
Gerry Goffin died on June 19,2014, in Los Angeles, California, at the age of 75.
15.
Gerry Goffin left behind a wife, one son, four daughters, and six grandchildren.
16.
On hearing of his death, Carole King said that Gerry Goffin was her "first love" and had a "profound impact" on her life.
17.
Gerry Goffin was a good man and a dynamic force, whose words and creative influence will resonate for generations to come.