Mary Wilson, a sincere co-founder of Motown’s legendary “girl group,” The Supremes, has died. He was 76 years old.
His longtime publicist, Jay Schwartz, confirmed in a statement that he died suddenly Monday at his home in Las Vegas. Schwartz has yet to announce his cause of death and funeral services will be private due to COVID-19 restrictions, but a public memorial is scheduled for later this year.
Wilson released the iconic pop and soul trio, famous for their layered silk vocals and elegant synchronized choreography, with Diana Ross and Florence Ballard after signing with Motown in 1961 when he was only 15, originally as a member of The Primettes. Seal founder Berry Gordy soon christened them Supreme.
“I just woke up to this news, my condolences to Mary’s family, it reminds me that every day is a gift,” said Ross, with whom Wilson shared an often heated relationship with the audience. tweeted Tuesday morning. “I have so many wonderful memories of our time together. The Supremes will live in our hearts.”
Wilson, recruited in 1988 at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, was also legendary for keeping up with his innovative group long after lead singer Ross went solo in 1970 and for fighting for a tough legal battle for artists ’rights. which he detailed in his memoirs of the 1986 bombing, “Dreamgirl: My Life As a Supreme.”
Ballard was replaced by Cindy Birdsong in 1967, and Wilson remained until The Supreme was officially dissolved by Motown in 1977.
“I was very surprised and saddened to learn of the passing of a prominent member of the Motown family, Mary Wilson of the Supreme Court,” Motown guru Gordy said in a statement Monday night. “The Supremes were always known as the‘ Motown sweets. ’Mary, along with Diana Ross and Florence Ballard, arrived in Motown in the early 1960s.After an unsuccessful series of No. 1 hits, reserves of television and nightclubs, the doors opened for them, the other Motown events and many others ”.
Gordy continued: “I was always proud of Mary. She was quite a star in her own right and over the years she continued to work hard to push the legacy of the Supremes. Mary Wilson was very special to me. She was a pioneer, a diva and they will miss her deeply ”.
On Saturday, Wilson posted a poignant YouTube video announcing that there was an agreement to distribute hitherto unreleased solo recordings with the powerful Universal Music industry. He also mocked the upcoming interviews he had done about his early experiences with segregation in honor of Black History Month.
“I hope some of that comes out on my birthday, March 6,” said Wilson, who appeared on season 28 of ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars” and released his fourth book, “Supreme Glamor,” in 2019.
Born March 6, 1944 in Greenville, Mississippi, she bounced back in the country with her parents until she was sent to live with an aunt and uncle at age 3. He wrote in his autobiography that he did not learn the true identity of his parents until he was 6, and later settled with his mother at the Brewster-Douglass Housing Project in Detroit at 12 p.m.
It was in that humble environment where he would meet his future superstar friends Ross and Ballard, with whom he formed a group that would serve as the Primes’ “sister act”, a male act with Paul Williams and Eddie Kendricks, future Motown stars are the temptations.
The first No. 1 millionaire song sold by Supremes, “Where Did Our Love Go,” was released on June 17, 1964. At the time, Wilson said there was an important moment when he played it that she he had a record of success.
“I remember that instead of going home by bus, we flew,” he told the Associated Press in 2014. “It was our first plane trip. We flew home. We had actually arrived at the great “.
It would be the first of the top five in a row, with “Baby Love,” “Come See About Me,” Stop! In the name of love ”and“ Return to my arms again ”following in quick succession. The Supremes also recorded the hit songs “You Can’t Hurry Love,” “Up the Ladder to the Roof,” and “Love Child,” breaking the boundaries of women of color on and off stage.
Ross began his solo career in 1968. Supremes’ swan song with her at the helm, “Some Day We’ll Be Together,” topped the pop and R&B charts in December 1969. The single marked the l ‘last appearance of the act at the top of the US pop chart.
Wilson married in Las Vegas in 1977 with the businessman and former manager of Supremes in Las Vegas. The couple had three children – Turkessa, Pedro Antonio Jr. and Rafael – before divorcing in 1981.
Rafael tragically died at age 14 when his Jeep embarked on a road trip between Las Vegas and Los Angeles, injuring Wilson and killing his son.
Over the years, Wilson acted publicly in the press with Ross, whom he always referred to by his birth name: Diane.
“I’m sure people will have their own opinions on this, but I don’t really care,” Wilson said, defending himself in a 1986 interview with Jet magazine. “The most important thing is that when I was in the group I kept my position and did not enter Diane’s position. Now I am no longer in the group. I have my own position to defend and it is not in the background “.
A 2000 Supreme Court reunion tour fell dramatically after a long and ugly battle for Wilson’s salary, which she said was insulting compared to his bandmate “The Boss.” He publicly stated that it was “a fraction” of the $ 15 million Ross got.
Still, Wilson kept him moving with regular appearances in Las Vegas and concert halls across the country. In 2015 she released her latest single, “Time to Move On,” which reached number 23 on the Billboard dance chart.
At the time of her death, her publicist said Wilson had been working to try to get a U.S. label designated for convict Ballard, his Supreme Companion and inspiration for the character in the musical Jennifer Holiday and the winner of the ‘Oscar Jennifer Hudson. “Dreamgirls” movie, respectively.
Wilson’s activism efforts included traveling to Washington, DC, to push for the Music Modernization Act, which was passed in 2018.
He is survived by his two sons Turkessa and Pedro Antonio Jr., and his seven grandchildren: Mia, Marcanthony, Marina, Isaiah, Ilah, Alexander and Alexandria.
Instead of flowers, Wilson’s family has asked fans to support UNCF.org and the Humpty Dumpty Institute.