CNN
—
Anita Pointer, one of the founding members of R&B group The Pointer Sisters, has died aged 74, according to her publicist Roger Neal.
Pointer died Saturday at her home in Los Angeles where she was surrounded by her family, Neal said in a statement to CNN. The cause of death was cancer, he said.
“While we are deeply saddened by the loss of Anita, we are comforted to know that she is now with her daughter, Jada and her sisters June and Bonnie and at peace,” Pointer’s family said in a statement. “Heaven is a beautiful, more loving place with Anita there.”
“She is the one who has kept us all close and together for so long. Her love for our family will live on in all of us,” the statement read, while also asking that the family’s privacy be respected “during this time. of mourning and loss.
The four Pointer Sisters began singing together more than 50 years ago in their hometown church in Oakland, California, where their father ministered. Bonnie Pointer and her younger sister, June, made their professional debut as a duo in 1969. They later recruited their older sisters Anita and Ruth to join them, before releasing their first album together in 1973.
The group won their first Grammy Award for their crossover hit “Fairytale” in 1974. They are also known for hits like “Slow Hand”, “Neutron Dance” and “Jump”.
The group won three Grammy Awards in total and had 13 US Top 20 hits between 1973 and 1985.
