National Post (National Edition)
Founding member of the Supremes
MARY WILSON 1944-2021
Singer Mary Wilson, who as a founding member of the Supremes was part of one of the most influential and successful acts in music history, died Monday at the age of 76.
Jay Schwartz, Wilson's publicist, said in a statement that the singer died suddenly in her home in Henderson, Nev. A cause of death was not immediately given.
Known as the “sweethearts of Motown,” the Supremes blazed a trail for Black and female artists in the 1960s rivalled by few in American music. A triumphant string of 12 No. 1 hits transformed three Black teens from Detroit — Wilson, Diana Ross and Florence Ballard — into cultural icons recognized for their glamour, elegance and ambition.
In the middle of it all was Wilson, a much needed steady and omnipresent force, a linchpin who was unafraid to speak her mind in a group with a well-documented history of dramatic power struggles.
“I was extremely shocked and saddened to hear of the passing of a major member of the Motown family, Mary Wilson of the Supremes,” Motown founder Berry Gordy said in a statement. “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. Mary Wilson was extremely special to me.”
He added, “She was a trailblazer, a diva and will be deeply missed.”
Born on March 6, 1944, in Greenville, Miss., Wilson was the eldest of three children of parents Sam and Johnnie Mae. Her parents separated shortly after her brother and sister were born in Chicago. Wilson, then 3, went to live with her aunt and uncle in southwest Detroit, believing they were her parents, she told the Wall Street Journal last year. It was here where Wilson was first exposed to music, with her uncle playing R&B and jazz records from the likes of LaVern Baker and Joe Williams in the basement of the one-storey home.
Wilson is survived by daughter Turkessa and son Pedro Antonio Jr., from her marriage to former Supremes manager Pedro Ferrer, whom she divorced. She's also survived by sister Kathryn, brother Roosevelt, and adopted son Willie, Variety reported, as well as many grandchildren. She was preceded in death by 14-year-old son Rafael, who was killed when Wilson's Jeep flipped on the road between Las Vegas and Los Angeles in 1994.