Among his most popular co-compositions are 1967's "I Second That Emotion" and 1969's "Baby, Baby Don't Cry" performed by Smokey Robinson & the Miracles[1] and 1971's "What's Going On" performed by Marvin Gaye.
Al has two sisters, Edna Grate and Mamie Jett, as well as one brother, Robert Cleveland.
His sons Alfred D Cleveland and Theodore Mills survive him.
He had a long and distinguished writing career, initially for New York artists on the Scepter/Wand labels such as Dionne Warwick and Tommy Hunt, as well as Gene Pitney before moving to Motown, where he provided songs for Smokey & The Miracles, The Marvelettes, David Ruffin, the Four Tops and Chuck Jackson before hitting the big time with a co-authorship of Marvin Gaye's "What's Goin' On?"
He died of heart disease in Las Vegas at the age of 66.