American singer Anita Pointer, who enjoyed success in the 1970s and 1980s with her sisters in the rhythm and blues group The Pointer Sisters, died Saturday at the age of 74 from cancer, her agent announced.
"I am saddened to announce that my Grammy Award winning client, Anita Pointer, has passed away after a heroic battle with cancer," Roger Neal posted on Instagram. She died on New Year's Eve at her Los Angeles home, surrounded by her family, she told CNN. "Despite our deep sadness at the loss of Anita, we take comfort in knowing that she is now with her daughter Jada and her sisters June and Bonnie, and at peace," the Pointer family said in a statement.
Originally from Oakland, California, the group was originally formed by Anita and her sisters June (died April 2006), Bonnie (died June 2020), and then Ruth. They had started singing at the church where her father was pastor, in Oakland.
Initially marked by jazz, bebop and gospel, The Pointer Sisters released their first album in 1973 and won three Grammy Awards throughout their career. Their foray into country music with the song Fairytale in 1975 had earned them first, and they were invited to the legendary Grand Ole Opry hall in Nashville, a first for black artists.
The band was down to three members after Bonnie left the group in 1977 to pursue a solo career. This did not prevent the Pointer Sisters from multiplying hits in the early 80s, with songs like Fire, He's So Shy, Slow Hand or I'm so exciting, without forgetting Neutron Dance; a repertoire that oscillated between nods to the scat of the 40s and disco, flirting with funky.
Although their popularity had waned by the late 1980s, the Pointer Sisters continued to perform in concert. June Pointer had left the group in 2004, replaced by a daughter of Ruth's, Issa.
