The Supremes co-founder Mary Wilson (pictured centre) has died aged 76.
The legendary singer, who started the Motown group in 1959 with Florence Ballard and Diana Ross, died on Monday night (February 8) at her home in Henderson, Nevada, her longtime publicist Jay Schwartz confirmed. A cause of death is yet to be revealed.
Motown Records founder Berry Gordy Jr. paid tribute to Wilson in a statement:
"I was extremely shocked and saddened to hear of the passing of a major member of the Motown family, Mary Wilson of the Supremes.
"The Supremes were always known as the ‘sweethearts of Motown.' Mary, along with Diana Ross and Florence Ballard, came to Motown in the early 1960s. After an unprecedented string of No. 1 hits, television and nightclub bookings, they opened doors for themselves, the other Motown acts, and many, many others. … I was always proud of Mary. She was quite a star in her own right and over the years continued to work hard to boost the legacy of the Supremes. Mary Wilson was extremely special to me. She was a trailblazer, a diva and will be deeply missed."
Originally founded as the Primettes, Wilson, Ballard and Ross were at the forefront of the Motown sound after signing with the label in 1961. She appeared on all 12 of their number one hits between 1964-69, including Baby Love and You Can't Hurry Love.
Two days before her death, Wilson uploaded a video to YouTube in which she spoke about releasing new solo material after working with Universal Music. She put out two solo records during her career, a 1979 self-titled LP and 1992's 'Walk The Line', as well as four books.
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