Martha Reeves got her final letter from Mary Wilson two weeks ago.
She didn’t realize that’s what it would be. But Reeves now cherishes the note from her “dear angel friend” and fellow Motown star, who was home in Las Vegas, eager to get through the pandemic and back onto the road. Someday, they’d be together, Wilson vowed to Reeves, sharing stages again, just as they’d done for decades.
Reeves and others in Motown’s tight-knit family were reeling Tuesday at news of Wilson’s unexpected death Monday evening in Henderson, Nevada, outside Las Vegas. The Clark County Coroner office told the Free Press she died of hypertensive atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, a condition related to high blood pressure.
She was the sweet, pretty one on the right, always with the right moves and purring backup vocals Mary Wilson was also the one who kept the Supremes flame alive, collecting their gowns for exhibitions and writing books, including her 2019 tome on their glittery style, “Supreme Glamour.”
That sweet backup singer in Motown’s most celebrated girl group the Supremes had a run of 12 No. 1 hits morphed into a sultry jazzy vocalist in recent years, but Wilson never tired of talking about the Supremes and their meteoric rise to fame.
Wilson died of heart disease Monday at her longtime Henderson, Nevada, home at 76, said her publicist Jay Schwartz. But her heart was always in Detroit, where she grew up a music-crazy teenager in the Brewster-Douglass Projects, before being signed to Motown in 1961 with friends Diana Ross and Florence Ballard.
Mary Wilson, original member of Motown’s The Supremes, dead at 76
Updated Feb 09, 2021;
Posted Feb 09, 2021
Mary Wilson of The Supremes passed away at the age of 76 on Feb. 8, 2021. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)
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The world of music has just lost a legend. Mary Wilson, the longest-reigning original member of The Supremes, has died at 76. Wilson died Monday night at her home in Las Vegas, according to her publicist. A cause has not been given.
Wilson, Diana Ross and Florence Ballard made up the first successful configuration of The Supremes. Ballard was replaced by Cindy Birdsong in 1967, and Wilson stayed with the group until they broke up in 1977.
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Motown Museum chair on Mary Wilson: ’World has lost one of the brightest stars in our family’
Wilson, of famed ‘The Supremes’ group, dies at 76
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Mary Wilson, Motown Museum (Motown Museum)
DETROIT – Motown Museum Chairwoman and CEO Robin Terry called Mary Wilson one of the “brightest stars” in the Motown family.
Wilson died Monday night at her home in Las Vegas. She was 76.
“In this moment of extreme sadness, the world has lost one of the brightest stars in our Motown family. Mary Wilson was an icon,” reads a statement from Terry. “She broke barriers and records as an original member of the Supremes, one of the greatest music acts of all time. She was a legend who was not only extremely talented, but equally beautiful. We join Mary’s fervent fan base in remembering her life and profound cultural impact. Motown Museum will continue to honor, appreciate and celebrate her legacy for fans around the world and for generations to