Janie Bradford, the Motown songwriter who co-wrote ‘Money (That’s What I Want)’, has died aged 87 after an extended illness. Her contribution to the 1959 Barrett Strong recording helped create Motown’s first hit single, making her an important early figure in the label’s development despite often working behind the scenes.

Bradford died at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles on 21 August, her family said. She began working with Berry Gordy in 1958 before Motown was formally founded, later co-writing songs including ‘Too Busy Thinking About My Baby’; she was inducted into the Women Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2026 and is survived by her husband, two children and two grandsons.