American singer Anita Pointer, member of the Grammy-winning R&B group “The Pointer Sisters”, passed away at the age of 74. This is what her representatives said tonight (Sunday). According to the announcement, Poynter, who was battling cancer, died yesterday at her home in Beverly Hills, surrounded by her family members.
“While we are deeply saddened by Anita’s death, we are comforted knowing that she is now with her daughter Jada and her sisters John and Bonnie,” her family said in a statement released today. “She was the one who kept us all so close all the time. Her love for family will live on in each of us.”
Anita Pointer, born in 1948, was the second of four sisters. In 1969, her sisters John and Bonnie began performing as a duo and were later joined by Anita. In 1972, the eldest sister Ruth, the only one still alive, joined the group. In 1978 Bonnie left the group.
The band had its greatest success in the 80s, thanks to the hits (for My Love) Jump, Automatic and the most successful hit I’m So Excited. They won three Grammy Awards, including for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group.
In 2003, Jada, Anita’s only daughter, passed away at the age of 37. Three years later, the youngest sister in the group, John, died at the end of a long battle with cancer at the age of only 52. In June 2020, sister Bonnie also passed away, at the age of 69. Today, the eldest sister Ruth, her daughter Isa Pointer and her granddaughter Sadako Pointer appear in the ensemble.