Mary Wilson, one of the founding members of the Motown group The Supremes, has passed away at the age of 76 at her home in Henderson, Nevada.
The singer passed away suddenly according to a statement from her longtime friend and publicist, Jay Schwartz. The news was reported by CNN and has since made its way around the Internet, with countless condolences from fans and loved ones.
Diana Ross, Wilson, and Florence Ballard made up the first successful trio calling themselves The Supremes in 1959, and Wilson stayed with the group until Motown officially disbanded it in 1977. Ross was one of those who took to social media to express her feelings.
“I just woke up to this news, my condolences to you Mary’s family,” she posted on Twitter. “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.”
The Supremes reached No. 1 with the hit song, Where Did Our Love Go in 1964, and the group would follow that up with four more No. 1s in a row — Baby Love, Come See About Me, Stop! In the Name of Love, and Back in My Arms Again.
Other hit songs included You Can’t Hurry Love, Up the Ladder to the Roof, and Love Child.
According to Schwartz, in addition to being a gifted performer, Wilson’s legacy was so much more than just singing. She was a bestselling author, motivational speaker, businesswoman, and U.S. Cultural Ambassador.
“Wilson used her fame and flair to promote a diversity of humanitarian efforts including ending hunger, raising HIV/AIDS awareness and encouraging world peace,” the publicist told CNN.
She also played an important role in helping to pass the Music Modernization Act in 2018, which was designed to modernize copyright-related issues for new music and audio recordings in the era of new technology like digital streaming, which did not protect music recorded before February 15, 1972.
Mary Wilson is survived by her daughter, son, several grandchildren, a sister, and brother. The music world mourns today and Entertainment Hub sends our condolences to Wilson’s family, friends, and fans.
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