Legendary singer and founding member of The Supremes Mary Wilson died unexpectedly Monday evening at the age of 76, reports Variety. Wilson’s longtime friend and publicist Jay Schwartz confirmed Wilson’s passing at her home in Henderson, Nevada, but no cause of death has been released. Wilson’s funeral service will be private, he confirmed, but there will be a public memorial later this year.
Wilson’s work with The Supremes made her a household name of the 1960s as she, alongside Diana Ross and Florence Ballard, racked up more than a dozen No. 1 singles such as “Where Did Our Love Go,” “Baby Love,” “Come See About Me,” “Stop! In the Name of Love” and “Back in My Arms Again.” In 1967, The Supremes were renamed Diana Ross & the Supremes, and Ballard was replaced by Cindy Birdsong. In 1970, Ross left to pursue her solo career, and the lineup changed a number of times until 1977, when the group disbanded.
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Ross, 76, reacted to Wilson’s death, writing Tuesday morning that she woke up to the sad news and was sending condolences to Wilson’s family. “I am reminded that each day is a gift,” she wrote, reflecting on her “so many wonderful memories of our time together.” She said, “The Supremes will live on in our hearts.”
Just two days before her death, Wilson announced she was working on releasing solo music with Universal, which would include the unreleased album “Red Hot” which she recorded with producer Gus Dudgeon in the 1970s. “Hopefully some of that will be out on my birthday, March 6,” she said in a video on her YouTube channel. Even after her time with The Supremes, Wilson has stayed in the spotlight, not only for her music but also on Dancing With the Stars. Fans of The Masked Singer thought she may have been Miss Monster in Season 3 in 2020, but Miss Monster was eventually revealed to be Chaka Khan. Wilson is survived by daughter Turkessa, son Pedro Antonio Jr., 10 grandchildren and one great-granddaughter.
After news of her death broke, Berry Gordy, the founder of Motown, 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,” Gordy said. “The Supremes were always known as the “sweethearts of Motown.” Mary, along with Diana Ross and Florence Ballard, came to Motown in the early 1960’s. After an unprecedented string of number one 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,” he continued. “Mary Wilson was extremely special to me. She was a trailblazer, a diva and will be deeply missed.”
