Anita Pointer of Iconic ?The Pointer Sisters? is dead

Anita Pointer, one of four sibling singers who earned pop success and critical acclaim as The Pointer Sisters, is dead. 

Anita died at the age of 74 on Saturday, December 31, after a “somewhat lengthy and heroic battle with cancer.” She reportedly died surrounded by her family at her Beverly Hills home.

Her 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 & 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.”

Pointer was a founding member of the Pointer Sisters, a vocal group from Oakland that achieved critical and commercial success in the ’70s and ’80s, blending genres such as blues, pop, and R&B. In particular, the group broke ground for Black women in country music, becoming the first female African-American group to perform on the long-running Grand Ole Opry radio program.

Ruth, the eldest of Pointer’s siblings, is the sole surviving original member of the group.

Anita Pointer and her sisters first found success in 1973; their self-titled album spawned the hit single “Yes We Can Can,” which reached #11 on the Billboard charts. Many of their songs across more than a dozen studio albums found chart success as well.