Anita Pointer, one of the founding members of the iconic Pointer Sisters vocal group, has died. She was 74.
The singer died at her home on Saturday, surrounded by family, her publicist confirmed to Variety.
“While we are deeply saddened by the loss of Anita, we are comforted in knowing she is now with her daughter, Jada, and her sisters June and Bonnie, and at peace,” read a statement from her four closest survivors: her sister, Ruth, brothers Aaron and Fritz and her granddaughter Roxie McKain Pointer.
“She was the one that kept all of us close and together for so long. Her love of our family will live on in each of us. Please respect our privacy during this period of grief and loss. Heaven is a more loving, beautiful place with Anita there.”
Though no cause of death was given in the statement, Pointer’s rep told TMZ her death was the result of a “somewhat lengthy and heroic battle with cancer.”
Born on Jan. 23, 1948, in Oakland, Calif. to parents Sarah Elizabeth and Reverend Elton Pointer, the singer was the fourth of six children.
In 1969, Pointer joined forces with her younger sisters Bonnie and June to form the legendary Pointer Sisters.
The group quickly rose to fame in 1973, when their self-titled debut album reached No. 13 on the Billboard 200 and No. 3 on the R&B albums chart.
The sisters continued to top charts in the ’70s and ’80s, with hits such as “I’m So Excited,” “Jump,” “Slow Hand,” “Fire,” “He’s So Shy” and “Neutron Dance.”
In addition to achieving widespread musical acclaim, the sisters also broke boundaries throughout their careers.
Following the success of their country single “Fairytale,” which was penned by Anita and Bonnie, The Pointer Sisters became the first Black female group to perform at the Grand Ole Opry in 1974.
The song later won the group its first Grammy Award for best country performance by a duo or group in 1975. To date, The Pointer Sisters are the only Black women who have won a Grammy in the country music category.
In 1986, Anita recorded a duet titled “Too Many Times” with country star Earl Thomas Conley, which later reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart.
A year later, Anita embarked on a solo career as she released her first album Love for What It Is, though she continued to sing with the Pointer Sisters until her retirement in 2015 due to unspecified health reasons.
In 1994, Anita and her sisters received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and in 1998, the Pointer Sisters were inducted into the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame.
In February 2020, Anita and her brother Fritz Pointer released the book, Fairytale: The Pointer Sisters’ Family Story, chronicling the Pointer family’s origins and the difficulties and successes she and her sisters faced throughout their careers.
Anita’s sisters June and Bonnie preceded her in death, with June Pointer dying in 2006 and Bonnie Pointer dying in 2020.
The singer’s only child, Jada, whom she shared with David Harper and inspired the Pointer Sisters’ song “Jada,” died of cancer at age 37 in 2003.
Anita is survived by her granddaughter (Jada’s only child), Roxie, as well as her sister, Ruth, and brothers Aaron and Fritz.
