Mary Wilson, a founding member of the Supremes, died Monday night at the age of 76.
The singer died "suddenly" at her home in Henderson, Nevada, her publicist Jay Schwartz said, in a statement. An official cause of death was not immediately disclosed.
Earlier this week, Wilson announced on YouTube that she was hoping to release music on her birthday next month. Paul Stanley of KISS tweeted: "I was just on a Zoom call with her Wednesday for about an hour & never could have imagined this. So full of life & great stories. Absolutely shocked."
In a statement, Berry Gordy – who signed the Supremes to Motown Records in 1961 – said he was "extremely shocked and saddened" to learn of Wilson's death. "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. She was a trailblazer, a diva and will be deeply missed."
I just woke up to this news , my condolences to you Mary's family ,I am reminded that each day is a gift ,I have so many wonderful memories of our time together "The Supremes " will live on ,in our hearts
— Ms. Ross (@DianaRoss) February 9, 2021
Born in Mississippi, Wilson moved with her family to St. Louis and Chicago before she ended up living with an aunt and uncle in Detroit. She befriended Florence Ballard in elementary school and, while in their teens, they became members of the Primettes with Diana Ross and Betty McGlown.
The group went on to become the Supremes in 1961 and struggled in the early years to find success. In 1964, their single “Where Did Our Love Go” went to No. 1 and paved the way for hits like “Baby Love,” “Stop! In the Name of Love” and “Back in My Arms Again.” Wilson was on all 12 of the Supremes’ No. 1 pop hits.
“Their influence not only carries on in contemporary R&B, soul and pop, they also helped pave the way for mainstream success by Black artists across all genres," read the statement from Schwartz.
Wilson remained in The Supremes until 1977, long after Ballard (who died in 1976) and Ross had left. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988.
Wilson released what would be her last single, "Time to Move On," in 2015.
She competed on Dancing With The Stars in 2019. Karamo Brown, who got to know Wilson on the show, remembered her as “one of the sweetest, most vibrant, talented women I had ever met.”
She is survived by her daughter Turkessa and son Pedro (her son Rafael was killed in a car accident in 1994) and adopted son/cousin Willie as well as 10 grandchildren, a great-gradnchild and her sister Kathryn and brother Roosevelt.
“I absolutely adored being a Supreme,” Wilson told the Detroit Free Press in 2015. “If I die, I want to come back being Mary Wilson of the Supremes. “I loved being on stage, I loved touring the world, I loved my life .. You really have to understand that life is short, that the time is now. Tomorrow is like now.”