Jerry Fuller, the songwriter of classic hits such as “Travlein’ Man” and “Young Girl,” has died at the age of 85.

Fuller’s death was reported by his wife to the New York Timeswho stated that the songwriter died on July 18 from complications of lung cancer.

Born in Fort Worth, Texas in 1938, Fuller’s first taste of music came from performing in talent shows with his older brother Bill. As an adult, he continued to pursue his musical dreams, dropping out of college and moving to Los Angeles in 1959.

That fall, he scored his first minor hit with a rockabilly version of the country song “Tennessee Waltz.” Although Fuller was a capable crooner behind the microphone, he achieved his greater success by writing hits for other artists.

What hits did Jerry Fuller write?

In 1961 he wrote “Travelin’ Man,” the story of a young womanizer with love stories around the world. “It’s a pretty simple song,” Fuller admitted in the documentary The demolition crew“I took a world atlas and looked up what do you call a girl in Germany? A Fraulein. What do you call a señorita in Mexico? I didn’t know what wahine meant for Hawaii, so I said ‘Polynesian baby.’ And I made a song out of it. The idea was to have a girl in every port.”

His friend and frequent collaborator Glen Campbell helped Fuller record the demo. He originally wanted to pass the track on to Sam Cooke (who later recorded another song written by Fuller), but it ended up with Ricky Nelson instead. “Travelin’ Man” became a worldwide hit, selling over six million copies. Fuller and Nelson collaborated frequently, releasing other hits including “A Wonder Like You,” “Young World,” and “It’s Up to You.”

Listen to “Travelin’ Man” by Ricky Nelson

In the second half of the 1960s, Fuller had many different roles: he was a record producer and talent scout, and he also wrote songs. He produced OC Smith’s rendition of “Little Green Apples,” which reached number 2 on the Billboard charts. His biggest success, however, was Gary Puckett, whom Fuller discovered while performing at a bowling alley in San Diego.

Gary Puckett and The Union Gap had a string of hits, including “Young Girl,” “Lady Willpower,” and “Over You.” All three were written and produced by Fuller, with “Young Girl” being one of the era’s best-known songs.

Fuller’s other songwriting credits included material for Johnny Mathis, John Anderson, Andy Williams, Ray Price and Reba McEntire.

Listen to “Young Girl” by Gary Puckett and the Union Gap Band