Anita Pointer, who scored a string of hits in the 1970s and 1980s with the Pointer Sisters sibling group, has died at age 74.
- Pointer joined her sisters Bonnie and June in the former Pointer Sisters.
- The group was commercially successful in the 1970s and 1980s.
- He appeared with his sisters in the 1976 film Car Wash.
- Anita’s sister June died in 2006 while Bonnie died in 2020.
Anita Pointer, who sang with her sisters to commercial fame as the Pointer Sisters, has died at the age of 74.
Pointer died in his Los Angeles home on Saturday, New Year’s Eve, according to his publicist Roger Neal.
The vocal group, which alternated between a trio and a quarter, scored hits with songs like I’m So Excited, Jump (For My Love) and Fire, written by Bruce Springsteen.
Pointer’s death comes just two years after his sister Bonnie Pointer, who co-founded the Pointer Sisters in the late 1960s before going solo in the 1980s, died in 2020.
Swan song: Anita Pointer, who sang with her sisters and family in the popular R&B and pop group The Pointer Sisters, died Saturday at age 74, her publicist announced; seen in 2019 in Los Angeles
The singer-songwriter was surrounded by family at the time of her death, which she attributed to cancer.
“While we are deeply saddened by the loss of Anita, we take comfort in knowing that she is now with her daughter, Jada and her sisters June and Bonnie and at peace,” Pointer’s family shared in a statement. ‘Heaven is a most loving beautiful place with Anita there.’
‘She was the one who kept us all close and together for so long. Her love for our family will live on in each of us,’ the statement continued, before requesting that fans respect her family’s privacy.
Although the group began in the late ’60s as a duo with Bonnie and June Pointer, Anita soon joined to make it a trio, before her sister Ruth Pointer expanded the band into a four-piece in late 1972, just before Start your business peak.
Triple Power: After her sister Bonnie and June formed a duo in 1969, Anita teamed up to make the Pointer Sisters a trio; seen with sisters Ruth and June in 1980
Hitmakers: The vocal group, which alternated between a trio and a quarter, scored hits with songs like I’m So Excited, Jump (For My Love) and Fire, written by Bruce Springsteen; Ruth, June and Anita seen in 1979
The sisters grew up singing at the church of their father, a preacher in Oakland, California.
Their debut album in 1973 produced their first hit single, Yes We Can Can.
Among their biggest hits were Fire in 1978, He’s So Shy in 1980, Slow Hand in 1981, and Neutron Dance, Automatic, and Jump in 1983. 1982’s I’m So Excited remains a standard.
The group won three Grammy Awards over the course of their decades-long career.
Family: In later years, the group continued to perform with Ruth singing alongside her daughter Issa and granddaughter Sadako; Anita (R) accompanied by her sister Ruth Pointer (L) and her daughter Sadako Johnson
Anita’s tenure with the Pointer Sisters ended in 2015, when she stepped down due to health issues.
In later years, the group continued to perform with Ruth singing alongside her daughter Issa and granddaughter Sadako.
In a 2019 interview, Anita gave the new lineup her stamp of approval, via Variety.
“They’re putting on great shows and they’ve been all over the world, without me,” he said. “I worked with Issa and Sadako, so they had a good idea of what I do until I went into somewhat of a forced retirement, due to health reasons, but Ruthie can still sing so powerfully and she loves it.”
Time off: Anita’s tenure with the Pointer Sisters ended in 2015, when she took a step back due to health issues; seen in 2012 in New Orleans