Don Kirshner, a songwriter and producer known in the music industry as "The Man With The Golden Ear," has died. He was 77 and the cause was heart failure, according to a statement.

One of Kirshner's first steps in the music business was discovering singer Bobby Darin in the 1950s. The duo eventually went their separate ways but Kirshner was hooked on the thrill of the music business.

"I...