Tynasha · Public domain

A songwriter who defined the sound of early-1960s girl-group pop, writing or co-writing "Be My Baby," "Da Doo Ron Ron," "Leader of the Pack," and "Then He Kissed Me" for acts like the Ronettes and the Crystals. Her songs turned teenage heartbreak into three-minute productions layered with Phil Spector's Wall of Sound, and "River Deep – Mountain High," co-written for Tina Turner, remains one of the era's most ambitious pop records.