Mary Wilson, frank co-founder of Motown’s legendary “girl group” The Supremes, died. She was 76 years old.
Her longtime aide Jay Schwartz confirmed in a statement that she died suddenly on Monday at her Las Vegas home. The cause of her death has yet to be announced and funeral services will be deprived because of COVID-19 restrictions, Schwartz said, but a public memorial is planned later this year.
Wilson launched the iconic pop and soul trio – famous for its silky layered vocals and chic synchronized choreography – with Diana Ross and Florence Ballard after signing with Motown in 1961 when she was just 15, originally as a member of The Primettes. The label’s founder, Berry Gordy, soon renamed them The Supremes.
“I woke up to this news, my condolences to you, Mary’s family, I remember that every day is a gift”, Ross, with whom Wilson shared a relationship that was often publicly heated tweeted Tuesday morning. “I have so many wonderful memories of our time together,” The Supremes “will live in our hearts.”
Wilson, a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame honoree in 1988, was also legendary for staying with her innovative group long after vocalist Ross left for a solo career in 1970 – and for fighting a hard-won legal battle over royalty rights. artists, which she detailed in her 1986 memoir, “Dreamgirl: My Life As a Supreme”.
Ballard was replaced by Cindy Birdsong in 1967, and Wilson remained until the Supremes were officially dissolved by Motown in 1977.
“I was extremely shocked and saddened to learn of the death of an important member of the Motown family, Mary Wilson of the Supreme Court,” Motown guru Gordy said in a statement late on Monday. “Supremes have always been known as ‘Motown girlfriends’. Mary, along with Diana Ross and Florence Ballard, came to Motown in the early 1960s. After an unprecedented series of hits in the. 1, reservations for television and nightclubs, they opened the door for themselves, for other Motown acts and for many, many others. “
Gordy continued: “I have always been proud of Mary. She was a big star in her own right and over the years she continued to work hard to boost the Supremes’ legacy. Mary Wilson was extremely special to me. She was a pioneer, a diva and will be sorely missed. “
On Saturday, Wilson posted a poignant video on YouTube announcing that a deal to distribute unreleased solo recordings was underway with industry powerhouse Universal Music. She also provoked future interviews that she had done about her first experiences with segregation in honor of Black History Month.
“I hope some of that comes out on my birthday, March 6,” said Wilson, who appeared on ABC’s 28th season of “Dancing with the Stars” and published his fourth book, “Supreme Glamor”, in 2019.
Born on March 6, 1944, in Greenville, Mississippi, she traveled the country with her parents until she was sent to live with an aunt and uncle at the age of 3. She wrote in her autobiography that she did not discover her parents’ true identity until she was 6 years old – and later she settled with her mother at the Brewster-Douglass Housing Project in Detroit at 12.
It was in this humble environment that she met her future superstars friends Ross and Ballard, with whom she formed a group that would serve as a “brother act” for the Primes, a masculine act with Paul Williams and Eddie Kendricks, future stars of Motown’s the Temptations.
The song “Where Did Our Love Go”, which sold one million copies, was released on June 17, 1964. At the time of his tour, Wilson said there was a turning point when he realized that she had a record of success.
“I remember that, instead of going home by bus, we flew,” she told the Associated Press in 2014. “It was our first plane ride. We flew home. We really had a great success. “
It would be the first of five consecutive hits at the top of the charts, with “Baby Love”, “Come See About Me,” Stop! In the Name of Love ”and“ Back in My Arms Again ”following in quick succession. The Supremes also recorded the hits “You Can’tushed Love”, “Up the Ladder to the Roof” and “Love Child”, all while breaking the boundaries for women of color on and off stage.
Ross launched his solo career in 1968. The Supremes swan song with her in charge, “Some Day We Be Together”, topped the pop and R&B charts in December 1969. The single marked the act’s last appearance at the top of pop. American chart.
Wilson married Supremes manager and ex-manager Pedro Ferrer in Las Vegas in 1977. The couple had three children – Turkessa, Pedro Antonio Jr. and Rafael – before divorcing in 1981.
Rafael tragically died at age 14 when his jeep overturned on a trip between Las Vegas and Los Angeles, injuring Wilson and killing his son.
Over the years, Wilson has fought publicly in the press with Ross – whom she always referred to incisively by her birth name: Diane.
“I’m sure people will have their own opinions on this, but I really don’t care,” said Wilson, defending himself in a 1986 interview with Jet magazine. “My main point is that when I was in the group I maintained my position and did not step on Diane’s position. I am no longer in the group now. I have my own position to defend and it is not in the background. “
A 2000 Supremes reunion tour collapsed spectacularly after a long and terrible battle over Wilson’s salary, which she argued was an insult compared to her bandmate “The Boss”. She publicly stated that it was “a fraction” of the $ 15 million that Ross was receiving.
Still, Wilson kept pace with regular appearances in Las Vegas and in concert halls across the country. In 2015, she released her latest single, “Time to Move On”, which reached number 23 on the Billboard dance chart.
At the time of his death, his press officer said Wilson was working on an attempt to get a US postage stamp assigned to convict Ballard, his Supreme companion and inspiration for Tony winner Jennifer Holiday and the character of the winner Oscar Jennifer Hudson in the musical and film “Dreamgirls”, respectively.
Wilson’s activism efforts included traveling to Washington, DC to lobby for the Music Modernization Act, which passed the law in 2018.
She leaves her two sons Turkessa and Pedro Antonio Jr, and their seven grandchildren: Mia, Marcanthony, Marina, Isaiah, Ilah, Alexander and Alexandria.
Instead of flowers, Wilson’s family asked fans to support UNCF.org and the Humpty Dumpty Institute.