Motown ‘trailblazer’ Mary Wilson of The Supremes dies aged 76
The singer and co-founder of the legendary band was planning to release new material to mark their 60th anniversary
9 February 2021 • 10:08am
The Supremes Mary Wilson was one of the ‘sweethearts of Motown’, according to Berry Gordy
Credit: Sherry Rayn Barnett /Michael Ochs Archives/Getty
Mary Wilson, co-founder and long-standing member of Motown legends The Supremes, has passed away aged 76. The American singer’s publicist confirmed that she had died suddenly at her home in Las Vegas on Monday night, but did not confirm a cause of death.
In a statement, Motown founder Berry Gordy said he was “extremely shocked and saddened” at the news.
Mary Wilson, Co-Founder of the Supremes, Dies at 76
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Vocalist Mary Wilson, who co-founded the Supremes as a 15-year-old in a Detroit housing project and stayed with the fabled, hitmaking Motown Records trio until its dissolution in 1977, died on Monday night at her home in Las Vegas. She was 76.
Wilson’s longtime publicist, Jay Schwartz, reported that she died suddenly. The circumstances of her death were not immediately revealed. Funeral services will be private because of COVID, he said, but there will be a public memorial later this year.
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“I was extremely shocked and saddened to hear of the passing of a major member of the Motown family, Mary Wilson of the Supreme,” said Berry Gordy in a statement Monday night. “The Supremes were always known as the ‘sweethearts of Motown.’ Mary, along with Diana Ross and Florence Ballard, came to Motown in the early 1960s. After an unprecedented string of No. 1
Mary Wilson, who co-founded the Supremes as a 15-year-old in a Detroit housing project and stayed with the fabled, hitmaking Motown Records trio until its disso