LOS ANGELES (February 17, 2013)--Shadow Morton, a 1960s pop-song writer and producer whose best known credits include "Leader of the Pack" and "Remember (Walking in the Sand)," has died at 71.

Family friend Amy Krakow confirmed with The Associated Press on Sunday that Morton, born George Francis Morton, died Thursday in Laguna Beach, Calif.

Shangri-Las, the girls group from Queens, N.Y., gained fame after recording both "Remember" in 1964, and then "Leader of the Pack," which Morton co-wrote with Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich.

The Shangri-Las became famous starting in 1964 with Morton's hits.

Morton was born in Brooklyn and moved to Long Island as a teenager.

Krakow said he is survived by three daughters, a sister and three grandchildren.