Mary Wilson, outspoken co-founder of Motown’s legendary “girl group” The Supremes, has passed away. She was 76.
Her longtime publicist Jay Schwartz confirmed in a statement that she died suddenly at her home in Las Vegas on Monday. Her cause of death has yet to be disclosed and funeral services will be private due to COVID-19 restrictions, Schwartz said, but a public memorial is scheduled for later this year.
Wilson launched the iconic pop and soul trio – famous for its silky layered vocals and chic synchronized choreography – with Diana Ross and Florence Ballard after a contract with Motown in 1961 when she was only 15, originally as a member of The Primettes. Label founder Berry Gordy soon renamed them The Supremes.
“I just woke up to this news, my condolences to you Mary’s family, I’m reminded that every day is a gift,” Ross, with whom Wilson shared an often overtly heated relationship tweeted Tuesday morning. “I have so many wonderful memories of our time together” The Supremes “will live on in our hearts.”
Wilson, a 1988 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, was also legendary for staying with her trailblazing group long after breakthrough singer Ross left for a solo career in 1970 – and for waging a hard-fought legal battle for artists’ royalty rights, which she described in her 1986 memoir, “Dreamgirl: My Life As a Supreme”.
Ballard was replaced by Cindy Birdsong in 1967, and Wilson stayed on until The Supremes was officially disbanded by Motown in 1977.
“I was extremely shocked and saddened to learn of the death of an important member of the Motown family, Mary Wilson of the Supreme,” Motown guru Gordy said in a statement Monday night. “The Supremes have always been known as the ‘cuties of Motown’. Mary came to Motown along with Diana Ross and Florence Ballard in the early 1960s. After an unprecedented string of No. 1 hits, bookings for television and nightclubs, they opened doors for themselves, the other Motown acts and many, many others. “
Gordy continued, “I was always proud of Mary. She was a star in her own right and continued to work hard over the years to boost the legacy of the Supremes. Mary Wilson was extraordinarily special to me. She was a pioneer, a diva and will be sorely missed. “
On Saturday, Wilson posted a poignant YouTube video announcing that a deal to distribute previously unreleased solo recordings was in the works with industry powerhouse Universal Music. She also teased upcoming interviews she’d done about her early experiences of segregation in honor of Black History Month.
“Hopefully some of that will come out on my birthday, March 6,” said Wilson, who appeared on season 28 of ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars” and published her fourth book “Supreme Glamor” in 2019.
Born March 6, 1944 in Greenville, Mississippi, she bounced around the country with her parents until she was sent to live with an aunt and uncle at the age of 3. She wrote in her autobiography that she revealed her parents’ true identities until she was six years old – and later settled with her mother in the Brewster-Douglass Housing Project in Detroit at the age of 12.
It was in that humble setting that she would meet her future superstars Ross and Ballard, with whom she formed a group that would serve as a ‘sister act’ to the Primes, a male act starring Paul Williams and Eddie Kendricks, future stars of Motown’s the Temptations.
The first # 1, million-selling song from The Supremes, “Where Did Our Love Go”, was released on June 17, 1964. While on tour, Wilson said there was a turning point when it hit her that she had a hit record.
“I remember instead of taking the bus home, we flew,” she told the Associated Press in 2014. “That was our first plane ride. We flew home. We really had a big hit.”
It would be the first of five consecutive charts, with “Baby Love”, “Come See About Me”, Stop! In the Name of Love ”and“ Back in My Arms Again ”follow each other in quick succession. The Supremes also recorded the hit songs “You Can’t Soon Love”, “Up the Ladder to the Roof” and “Love Child,” pushing the boundaries for women of color on stage and beyond.
Ross began her solo career in 1968. The 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 was the act’s last performance on top of American pop. chart.
Wilson married businessman and former Supremes manager Pedro Ferrer in 1977 in Las Vegas. The couple had three children – Turkessa, Pedro Antonio Jr. and Rafael – before divorcing in 1981.
Rafael died tragically at the age of 14 when his jeep overturned on a road trip between Las Vegas and Los Angeles, injuring Wilson and killing her son.
Over the years, Wilson publicly thrashed in the press with Ross – who she always pointedly referred to by her birth name: Diane.
“I’m sure people will have their own opinion on that, but I really don’t care,” said Wilson, defending himself in a 1986 interview in Jet Magazine. “My main thing is that when I was in the group, I held my position and not stepped into Diane’s position. I am no longer in the group. I have my own position to uphold and it is not in the background. “
A 2000 Supremes reunion tour fell apart spectacularly after a long and ugly battle for Wilson’s salary, which she claimed was insulting compared to her bandmate on “The Boss”. She stated publicly that it was “a fraction” of the $ 15 million Ross received.
Still, Wilson kept it moving with regular performances in Las Vegas and concert halls around 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 that Wilson had attempted to obtain a U.S. postage stamp intended for the doomed Ballard, her colleague Supreme and the inspiration for Tony winner Jennifer Holiday and the character of Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson in the musical and film of “Dreamgirls” respectively.
Wilson’s activism efforts include a trip to Washington, DC to lobby for the Music Modernization Act, which passed into law in 2018.
She is survived by her two children, Turkessa and Pedro Antonio Jr, and her 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.