Mary Weiss, Queens-born lead singer of hitmaking Shangri-Las, dead at 75
Harlem knife fight that killed kin was over access to toilet
Mary Weiss, the Queens-born lead singer of the hitmaking 1960s girl group the Shangri-Las, has died at age 75, her representative confirmed.
A cause of death was not released for Weiss, whose New Yorkbred band is known for songs such as “Remember (Walking in the Sand)” and the chart-topping “Leader of the Pack.”
“She was as charming and charismatic as an adult as she was as a teenage idol,” Norton Records’ Miriam Linna told People. “A true star.”
Norton Records did not immediately respond to a Daily News request for comment.
Born in Cambria Heights, Weiss got her start as a child singing in choirs and musicals. She launched the Shangri-Las with her sister, Betty Weiss, and their classmates Marge and Mary Ann Ganser in 1963 out of Andrew Jackson High School and quickly earned a following through local performances.
The group originally signed with Kama Sutra Records, and later Red Bird Records in 1964 when Weiss was 15. It was with Red Bird that the Shangri-Las released their breakthrough hit, “Remember (Walking in the Sand),” a brooding heartbreak anthem for which an up-and-coming Billy Joel played on an original demo.
Released in 1964, the song peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard singles chart. Later that year, the Shangri-Las released “Leader of the Pack,” which became their lone No. 1 hit, unseating the Supremes’ “Baby Love” for the top spot on the Nov. 28, 1964, chart.
The Shangri-Las found mainstream success during an era largely dominated by British acts like the Rolling Stones, whom the Shangri-Las toured with as an opening act in 1964.
The girl group’s other hits included “I Can Never Go Home Anymore,” which rose to No. 6 on the singles chart, and “Give Him a Great Big Kiss,” which peaked at No. 18.
Weiss largely stepped away from the music industry following that success in the 1960s before returning with her first and only solo album, “Dangerous Game,” in 2007.
A Harlem man who stabbed his granduncle to death in their shared apartment was engaged in a tense knife fight with his kin over access to the bathroom, prosecutors said Sunday.
Video of the bloody battle could bolster a self-defense argument by Nehemiah Terry-Peterson, 23, who was arraigned Saturday in Manhattan Criminal Court, prosecutors said. He faces manslaughter, criminal contempt and weapon possession charges.
Terry-Peterson and his granduncle by marriage, Beverly Simon, had fought over the bathroom before — Simon, 74, had to walk through his grandnephew’s bedroom to get access to the bathroom, and the younger man wasn’t happy about it, Assistant District Attorney Sarah Marquez said.
On Oct. 26, Terry-Peterson refused to let Simon walk through his room, slamming the door into his face and breaking his nose, Marquez said at his arraignment. That led to an assault charge, and a limited protective order — since the two live together.
Terry-Peterson’s case was transferred to a “problem-solving” alternative court program, public records show, but the problem was far from solved.
At about 6 a.m. Friday, Simon again walked through Terry-Peterson’s bedroom to get to the bathroom, leading to another argument, Marquez said. Simon left the room and Terry-Peterson grabbed something out of his backpack, putting it into his pocket, the prosecutor said.
Simon then came back with a large knife in his hand and lunged at his nephew, who pleaded with him to leave, according to a criminal complaint.
Simon turned, as if to leave, then grabbed a pair of scissors off a dresser, Marquez said. That’s when Terry-Peterson swung a knife at Simon, stabbing him in his chest, then shoved him out of his bedroom and shut the door, the complaint alleges.
Simon died minutes later on his own bedroom floor, according to Marquez.
A neighbor heard the yelling, saw Simon on the floor and called 911.
Terry-Peterson also called 911 to say he was fighting with his granduncle and his granduncle “stabbed himself,” Marquez said.
Prosecutors have access to about five minutes of surveillance video that appear to back Terry-Peterson’s self-defense claim, though investigators found gaps in the footage and are still investigating, Marquez said.
That led to prosecutors asking for supervised release, which a judge granted Saturday. He’s due back in court Feb. 27.
Vernon Terry, the grandfather of Terry-Peterson, who holds the lease on the apartment, said Friday that Simon had been squatting there for nine years without pitching in for household expenses.
Terry described Simon — the brother of his late wife —as a layabout who tried to make money by playing various lotteries all day.
“I asked him on a few occasions — I told him, ‘I need my space.’ He told me he’s not moving, and he’s gonna leave when he feels like,” Terry said Friday.
He declined to comment further when contacted Sunday.