Jerry Leiber, lyricist for the legendary songwriting team of Leiber & Stoller, died in Los Angeles in the early morning hours of Monday, August 22, 2011. He was 78.

He died at Cedars-Sinai Hospital surrounded by his family. The cause of death was cardiopulmonary failure.

Baltimore native Leiber met composer Mike Stoller in Los Angeles in 1950. Discovering a shared love of R&B music and culture, they immediately entered into a songwriting partnership which would translate their love of black music to a mainstream white audience without losing its authenticity and soul. They would go on to cross many stylistic boundaries over the years, but stayed true to their roots and to each other. Their lifelong partnership, which Mr. Leiber called, "the longest running argument in show business," is chronicled in their recent memoir, Hound Dog: The Leiber & Stoller Autobiography.

Says Mike Stoller: "He was my friend, my buddy, my writing partner for 61 years. We met when we were 17 years old. He had a way with words. There was nobody better. I'm going to miss him."

Leiber & Stoller's earliest songs were recorded by such artists as Jimmy Witherspoon and Charles Brown, but the hits started with "Kansas City," recorded by Little Willie Littlefield in 1952 and made famous when revived by Wilbert Harrison in 1959, and "Hound Dog," written for Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton in 1952 and reinvented as a rock and roll anthem by Elvis Presley in 1956.

Seeking control over their work, Leiber & Stoller formed Spark Records in 1954 where, with the R&B vocal group, the Robins, the duo developed an innovative approach to crafting songs and records as a single process. Soon, Nesuhi and Ahmet Ertegun approached them about giving up Spark to join their staff at Atlantic Records. Jerry and Mike demurred, suggesting that they should be independent contractors. The Erteguns agreed to this then-novel arrangement, and came up with a name for Leiber & Stoller's role: record producers.

Leiber & Stoller wrote for and/or produced many artists at Atlantic, but they were most closely associated with the Coasters, a spin-off of the Robins, for whom they wrote such classics as "Searchin'," "Young Blood," "Charlie Brown," "Yakety Yak," and "Poison Ivy." Expanding on the style developed for the Robins, Leiber utilized the multiple voices and dramatic abilities of the Coasters to the fullest, crafting "playlets" (his word) in which each singer had a character to play.

Leiber & Stoller's other great association at Atlantic was with the Drifters and Ben E. King. Beginning with "There Goes My Baby," they combined R&B balladry, pop romanticism, classical strings and Latin rhythms into the prototype for northern soul. For King, Leiber and Phil Spector wrote "Spanish Harlem," and Leiber & Stoller collaborated with King on one of pop's enduring anthems, "Stand By Me." later memorably covered by John Lennon. The Beatles were huge fans of the pair's songwriting.

Following his hit version of "Hound Dog," Elvis Presley recorded two dozen Leiber and Stoller songs, most written specifically for him, including "Jailhouse Rock," "Loving You," "Love Me," "Don't," and "(You're So Square) Baby I Don't Care." Leiber & Stoller were the King's favorite songwriters, but their independence and artistic aspirations ran afoul of Presley's manager, "Colonel" Tom Parker, ending their run of hits.

Looking beyond rock & roll, Leiber & Stoller developed a relationship with singer Peggy Lee that ran from the proto-feminist blues of "I'm a Woman" to the existential cabaret of the unlikely Thomas Mann-inspired Grammy-winning hit, "Is That All There Is?"

Leiber & Stoller's songs were the basis for the first and most successful "jukebox musical." Opening in 1995 at the Virginia Theater, Smokey Joe's Café is the longest-running musical revue in Broadway history, and the cast album won a Grammy award.

With Mr. Stoller, Mr. Leiber has been the recipient of many awards and honors, including the Songwriters' Hall of Fame (1985) and the Rock and Roll of Fame (1987). They had a star placed on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, receiving both the ASCAP Founders' Award and the NARAS Trustees Award.

Leiber's marriage of rhythm & blues vernacular with Tin Pan Alley craftsmanship helped to transform and popularize R&B under the name "rock & roll." With his singular wit and sharp-eyed observances, Leiber spun accessible comic tales with subliminal but pointed messages about sex, race, class and culture. This is evident not only in his work with Stoller, but also in collaborations with such writers as Billy Edd Wheeler ("Jackson,"), Artie Butler ("Down Home Girl"), and his collaborations with other writers such as Doc Pomus ("She's Not You") and Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil ("On Broadway," "Only In America").

His songs have been recorded by The Beatles, the Rolling Stones, B.B. King, James Brown, Johnny Cash, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, the Beach Boys, Buddy Holly, Fats Domino, Frank Sinatra, Jimi Hendrix, Barbra Streisand, Muddy Waters, Joni Mitchell, Joe Williams, Count Basie, Édith Piaf, Eric Clapton, Willie Nelson, Luther Vandross, David Bowie, George Benson, John Lennon, Aretha Franklin, Donald Fagen, Norah Jones, Neil Young, Tom Petty, the Isley Brothers, James Taylor, Otis Redding, Björk, Cee Lo Green, and thousands of others. But none ever pleased him more than "Big Mama" Thornton's original record of "Hound Dog." Legend has it, when Stoller returned from a trip to Sweden and was greeted at the dock by Leiber with news Presley had a hit with the song, Mike uttered, "Elvis who?"

Eulogized Recording Academy President/CEO Neil Portnow: "With a career that spanned musicals to R&B and rock and roll, Leiber’s lyrical talent along with Stoller’s composing skill helped shape the music of the ’50s and ’60s, working with such towering talents as Elvis Presley and the Drifters among many others. Together, they were an extraordinary team that generated a rich and diverse musical catalog that leaves an indelible imprint on our cultural history. Jerry will be greatly missed, and our deepest sympathies extend to his family, friends, fans, and to Mike, his creative partner and friend for more than five decades."

Leiber is survived by his three sons, Jed, Oliver and Jake, and two granddaughters, Chloe and Daphne.