A founding member of the Pointer Sisters, Anita Pointer, has died in Beverly Hills.
Publicist Roger Neal said the singing star, 74, died surrounded by her family on Saturday.
The family said in a statement: “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.
“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.”
The Pointer Sisters formed in Oakland, California, and first found success in the 1970s.
The group won three Grammy Awards and were honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1994.
Ruth Pointer is the only surviving sister of the music group, after June Pointer died in 2006 and Bonnie Pointer died in 2020.
Anita began raising her granddaughter Roxie McKain Pointer after her daughter’s untimely death in 2003.
The group released their first album in 1973, and went on to win three Grammy Awards and gained 13 US Top 20 hits between 1973 and 1985.
Among their biggest hits are Fire, He’s So Shy, Jump and I’m So Excited.
Anita stepped back from performing with the group in 2015 due to poor health, but the Pointer Sisters continued with Ruth singing along with her daughter Issa and granddaughter Sadako.
Anita gave the new line-up her seal of approval in a 2019 interview with Variety, saying: “They are doing some great shows and have been all over the world, without me. I worked with Issa and Sadako, so they got a good feel for what I do until I had somewhat of a forced retirement, due to health reasons, but Ruthie can still sing so strongly and loves it.”
This article originally appeared in The Sun and was reproduced with permission.