Kirkman’s widow Heidi Berinstein Kirkman confirmed to the Los Angeles Times that he died of congestive heart failure following a long illness. He is survived by his daughter Sasha, his son-in-law and two grandchildren.The Association formed in 1965 and were famed for their ‘sunshine pop’ sound which focused on tightly woven vocal harmonies and light, melodic songwriting.Their highest charting single in the UK was 1968’s ‘Time for Livin”, which reached Number 23.