Anita Marie Pointer

 Anita Marie Pointer (January 23, 1948 – December 31, 2022)

She is best remembered as a founding member of the vocal group the Pointer Sisters. She and her sisters found fame in 1973, when the Anita-led "Yes We Can Can" reached No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100. In 1974, Pointer's writing talents helped the group make music history when "Fairytale" became a hit on the country music charts and enabled The Pointer Sisters to become the first black female group to perform at the Grand Ole Opry. "Fairytale" won the group its first Grammy Award for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group, and a Grammy Nomination for the Best Country Song of the year in 1975. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, The Pointer Sisters rose to higher levels of success with "Fire" (1978), "He's So Shy" (1980), "Slow Hand" (1981) and "I'm So Excited" (1982). In 1983, the trio's album Break Out reached multi-platinum status and won the group two more Grammy Awards. In 1986, Anita found chart success with country superstar Earl Thomas Conley on the song "Too Many Times", which reached no. 2 on the country chart and in 1987, she released her first solo album Love for What It Is. Her album's first single "Overnight Success" reached no. 41 on the Billboard R&B chart.

Anita's only daughter, Jada, died in 2003. Her death also comes after her sister Bonnie, who was also one of the group’s founding members but left in the mid-1970s for a solo career, died in 2020 at the age of 69. The youngest sister, June, died in 2006. Pointer's older brother, Aaron Pointer, was an MLB player and later NFL referee. Her cousin, Paul Silas, was an NBA player and head coach. Pointer died from cancer at her home in Los Angeles on December 31, 2022. She was 74 years old.