Anita Pointer of the Pointer Sisters Dies at 74 - Variety

Anita Pointer, who roseate to fame successful the 1970s arsenic a subordinate of the deed sibling singing radical the Pointer Sisters, died Saturday astatine property 74. No origin of decease was given, but her publicist said she died surrounded by family.

“While we are profoundly saddened by the nonaccomplishment of Anita, we are comforted successful knowing she is present with her daughter, Jada, and her sisters June and Bonnie, and astatine peace,” said a connection jointly attributed to her 4 closest survivors — a sister, Ruth, brothers Aaron and Fritz, and her granddaughter Roxie McKain Pointer. “She was the 1 that kept each of america adjacent and unneurotic for truthful long. Her emotion of our household volition unrecorded connected successful each of us. Please respect our privateness during this play of grief and loss. Heaven is simply a much loving beauteous spot with Anita there.”

Anita was with the Oakland-based radical from its enactment successful 1969 until she was forced to discontinue owed to unspecified wellness reasons successful 2015.

The Pointer Sisters had a deed medium close retired of the gross successful 1973 arsenic their self-titled debut merchandise reached No. 13 connected the medium chart. Their archetypal large deed azygous was a signaling of Allen Toussaint’s “Yes We Can Can,” which narrowly missed the apical 10, peaking astatine No. 11 connected the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 12 connected the R&B chart.

As they abandoned the nostalgic look they’d started with, the sisters had their archetypal and lone No. 1 R&B illustration deed successful 1975 with “How Long (Betcha Got a Chick connected the Side).” It would inactive beryllium a fewer much years earlier they cracked the apical 10 of the Hot 100, but erstwhile they did, the floodgates opened.

That phenomenal popular occurrence got earnestly underway with a mentation of Bruce Springsteen’s “Fire” that reached No. 2 connected the popular illustration successful 1978. Recalled Anita successful an interrogation with Goldmine astir the Springsteen song, “I told Richard Perry that determination was specified a large dependable connected this opus that possibly helium wanted Ruthie to sing pb arsenic she had the large voice, but helium said, ‘No. I privation you to sing it.’ So I did and it became our archetypal golden azygous and I was conscionable truthful thrilled.”

Then done the mid-1980s the hits kept coming. In 1980, “He’s So Shy” deed No. 3. “Slow Hand” went to No. 2 successful 1981. “Neutron Dance” went to No. 6 successful 1984, and “Jump (for My Love)” reached No. 3 that aforesaid year. Another indispensable deed of the era, “Automatic,” peaked astatine No. 5 successful 1984. “I’m So Excited,” a way with pb vocals by Anita, was lone a insignificant deed for the sisters successful 1982, but was re-released successful remixed signifier successful 1984 and this clip went arsenic precocious arsenic No. 9.

The radical besides had occurrence connected the legit signifier and screen, touring with “Ain’t Misbehavin’,” based connected the Fats Waller opus catalog, and appearing successful the deed 1976 movie drama “Car Wash.”

The popular deed streak came to an extremity successful the mid-’80s, arsenic the 1985 azygous “Dare Me,” astatine No. 11, marked the past clip the Pointer Sisters reached the apical 20. After being disconnected the charts wholly since the aboriginal ’90s, the sisters had 1 past illustration deed successful 2005 with “Christmas successful New York,” which reached No. 21 connected the big modern chart.

For arsenic often arsenic the sisters got held astatine No. 2 oregon 3 successful their tally of still-ubiquitous songs, they did person a brushwood with No. 1 arsenic featured participants successful the all-star “We Are the World” foundation azygous successful 1985.

Their biggest azygous medium by acold was 1983’s “Break Out,” which was certified three-times platinum; it was the LP that included “Neutron Dance,” “Jump” and “Automatic.” In 1984 it was reissued with the caller mentation of the Anita-sung and co-written “I’m So Excited” added to the lineup.

The radical received a prima connected the Hollywood Walk of Fame successful 1994.

The group’s 3 Grammys see 1 successful a state category, for the 1974 opus “Fairytale,” a constituent of trivia that often comes up arsenic the deficiency of Black practice successful that genre is discussed. Anita explained that a emotion of state euphony came people to them due to the fact that they spent summers with relatives successful Arkansas, wherever that was each they heard. “I lone retrieve listening to 1 Arkansas vigor station,” Anita said. “All they played was state music: Hank Williams’ ‘Your Cheatin’ Heart,’ Tex Ritter’s ‘Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darlin” and Willie Nelson’s ‘Funny How Time Slips Away.’ The lone clip I heard Black artists was erstwhile I snuck retired to the section juke joints and pressed my receptor to the doorway …. To maine it was each bully music. With country, the abbreviated communicative format truly resonated with me.” The radical legendarily performed connected the Grand Ole Opry successful ’74.

Pointer and her member Fritz collaborated connected a household memoir, titled “Fairytale,” successful 2020.

Two different sisters who were with the radical for astir of its beingness preceded Anita successful decease — June Pointer successful 2006 and Bonnie Pointer successful 2020.

Ruth Pointer is the longest-standing subordinate of the group, having joined successful 1972, 3 years aft June, Bonnie and Anita began performing together. Ruth present tours nether the Pointer Sisters banner with 2 younger members, Issa Pointer, who archetypal joined successful 2002, and Sadako Pointer, who joined successful 2009. In a 2019 interview, Anita signaled her support of the radical continuing without her. “Yhey are doing immoderate large shows and person been each implicit the world, without me,” she said. “I worked with Issa and Sadako, truthful they got a bully consciousness for what I bash until I had somewhat of a forced retirement, owed to wellness reasons, but Ruthie tin inactive sing truthful powerfully and loves it.”

Pointer’s lone daughter, Jada Pointer, who had inspired the 1973 Pointer Sisters opus “Jada,” died of crab successful 2003, aft which Anita dedicated herself to raising her lone grandchild, Roxie.

“This has been a fantastic career. I didn’t program immoderate of this,” she told Goldmine. In 1969, she pointed out, “I was readying connected continuing to being a caput successful a instrumentality office, similar I was doing, erstwhile I heard Bonnie and June singing successful the Northern California State Youth Choir, performing ‘Oh Happy Day,’ with Edwin Hawkins and Dorothy Morrison, and I conscionable loved it. So I discontinue my occupation and said that I had to bash this too.”