Loved his songs since I was in my teens and my favourite band covered a bunch of his tracks. (Not particularly well, but they certainly turned me onto his songs.)

Catchy yet often complex melodies (think "Alfie"), backed by lush orchestration, and lyrics that told stories of love and heartbreak, lovingly brought to life by so many different singers.
The anguish of Gene Pitney in "24 Hours from Tulsa", Dionne Warwick's exhortations in "Wives and Lovers".

I'll say a little prayer for him.