Mary Weiss, a former singer and lead vocalist of the 1960s girl group the Shangri-Las, has died. The “Leader of the Pack” musician passed away in Palm Springs, California on Friday, Jan. 19, Miriam Linna, founder of Weiss’s label, Norton Records, confirmed to numerous outlets including Rolling Stone and Associated Press. Weiss was 75. Her cause of death was not disclosed.
“It was a joy and an honor to work with Mary on her solo/comeback album, which were her last records,” Linna shared in a statement with PEOPLE. “She was as charming and charismatic as an adult as she was as a teenage idol. A true star.”
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Born in Queens, New York, Weiss, together with her sister Elizabeth, formed the Shangri-Las in the early 1960s with friends from school, twin sisters Mary-Ann and Marguerite Ganser. She was just 15 when she secured her first record deal with the band in 1963. Together, the group performed at local talent shows, and after producer Artie Ripp signed them to Kama Sutra Productions, the Shangri-Las went on to release their debut single “Simon Says.” It was followed in 1964 by the top-five hit “Remember (Walking in the Sand),” which was written by George “Shadow” Morton with Billy Joel on piano. The group’s debut album, also called Leader of the Pack, was released in 1965. The pioneering all-female group’s other popular hits include “Give Him a Great Big Kiss” and “Heaven Only Knows.”
After the Shangri-Las broke up in 1968, Weiss was forced to take a step back from music, recalling, per Variety, “My mother kind of signed my life away when I was 14. There’s a storeroom of litigation up to the ceiling. That’s one of the reasons I walked away. I couldn’t go near another record label for 10 years.”Weiss reunited with the Shangri-Las in 1977 and 1989 and went on to establish herself as a solo artist, releasing her solo debut album, Dangerous Game, in 2007.
Amid her passing, many have paid tribute to Weiss online, with the Instagram account for Ronnie Spector, who co-founded the girl group the Ronettes and passed away in January 2022, writing, “We are deeply saddened to hear the news of Mary Weiss’ passing. She and Ronnie were kindred spirits; two fearless bad girls of the 60s. Join us as we spin the Shangri-Las in her honor.” Steven Van Zandt wrote on X (formerly Twitter), “RIP Mary Weiss. Lead singer of the legendary Shangri-Las,” adding that the Shangri-Las were “one of the essential Girl Groups of the ’60s that empowered young girls to dream bigger at a time when society limited women to be secretaries. Their brilliant records with Shadow Morton defined aural cinema.”
