Singer Mary Wilson, co-founder and long-standing member of The Supremes, died suddenly Monday night at her home in Henderson, Nevada, according to her longtime publicist Jay Schwartz. She was 76. R.I.P. Mary Wilson, Founding Member of the Supremes
Wilson was a “trendsetter who broke down social, racial, and gender barriers,” Schwartz said in his statement.
She is survived by her daughter, son, several grandchildren, a sister and brother. Services will be private due to Covid-19 restrictions and a celebration of Wilson’s life will take place later this year, her publicist said.
Mary Wilson was a member of the most successful Motown act of the 1960s and the best-charting female group in U.S. history. The group released a record-setting twelve number-one hit singles on the Billboard Hot 100, ten of which Wilson sang backing vocals for.
Wilson remained with the group following the departures of other original members, Florence Ballard in 1967 and Diana Ross in 1970, though the group disbanded following Wilson’s own departure in 1977. Wilson later became a New York Times best-selling author in 1986 with the release of her first autobiography, Dreamgirl: My Life as a Supreme, which set records for sales in its genre, and later for the autobiography Supreme Faith: Someday We’ll Be Together.
Continuing a successful career as a concert performer in Las Vegas, Wilson also worked in activism, fighting to pass Truth in Music Advertising bills and donating to various charities. Wilson was inducted along with Ross and Ballard (as members of the Supremes) into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988.
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