Jerry Fuller, mastermind behind 'Young Girl', dies at 85

Jerry Fuller, renowned songwriter and producer, behind iconic hits like Travelin' Man, Young Girl, Show and Tell, and Little Green Apples, passed away at 85 due to lung cancer complications.

Fuller's successful collaboration with Gary Puckett and the Union Gap yielded four consecutive top 10 hits, including Woman, Woman and Young Girl, outselling The Beatles in 1968.

“What can I say about a guy whose vision defined my musical identity and destiny,” Puckett wrote in a statement.

“What can ANYONE say about a man who gave SO much to SO many through his talents and efforts in the world of music. Thank you, Jerry! The world was a better place with you in it.”

Previously, in 1960, while on tour with The Champs, a band well remembered for the party song Tequila, Fuller met Glen Campbell and persuaded him to go to Los Angeles.

Fuller had written Travelin' Man for Sam Cooke, and Campbell helped him demo it. But Nelson ended up getting it, and the song peaked at number one on the Hot 100 in 1961.

Young World, It's Up to You, A Wonder Like You, and Congratulations are just a few of the 19 songs by Fuller that Nelson would go on to record.

In addition, Fuller penned and produced Wilson's version of Show and Tell, which peaked at No. 1 in 1974, and produced O.C. Smith's version of Little Green Apples, which peaked at No. 2 in 1968.

Fuller was born in Fort Worth, Texas, on November 19, 1938, the youngest of four children. He and his brother Bill formed The Fuller Bros. when he was eleven years old, and their mother Lola made them perform a cappella at jamborees and minstrel plays.