Anita Pointer of The Pointer Sisters dies at age 74

Grammy-winning Anita Pointer of the Pointer Sisters died of cancer on Saturday, her publicist confirmed. She was 74 years old.

Anita’s publicist Roger Neal said in a statement that she was surrounded by family at the time of her death.

“While we are deeply saddened by the loss of Anita, we are comforted to know that she is now with her daughter Jada and her sisters June and Bonnie and at peace. She is the one who has kept us all close and together. for so long,” her sister Ruth, brothers Aaron and Fritz, and granddaughter Roxie McKain Pointer said in the statement.

Anita was the second eldest of four sisters who originally started the group as a duo in 1969. The group eventually became a trio when Anita quit her job as a secretary to join us. The Pointer Sisters formed a quartet for several years while their sister, Ruth, was still alive.

ANITA POINTER OF THE POINTER SISTERS RECALLS HER IMPROBABLE DUO WITH COUNTRY STAR EARL THOMAS CONLEY

The Pointer Sisters’ self-titled debut album was released in 1973 and included their hit song, “Yes We Can Can”. The song eventually reached number 11 on the Billboard charts.

Anita Pointer of the Pointer Sisters performs at the Alfred Mann Foundation’s 3rd Annual Innovation & Inspiration Gala on September 9, 2006 in Beverly Hills, California. Anita Pointer died on Saturday December 31, 2022 at the age of 74. announcement. (AP Photo/Phil McCarten, File)

The band went on to release more hit songs including “I’m So Excited”, “Slow Hand” and “Jump (For My Love)”. The remixed version of “I’m So Excited” went to No. 3 on the pop charts in 1984 and 1985 with “Neutron Dance” also at No. 3 on the pop charts.

BONNIE POINTER POINTER SISTERS DEAD AT 69

The group received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1994 while winning three Grammy Awards.

The Pointer Sisters, from left, Ruth, Anita and June, at a rehearsal studio in New York City where they prepared August 24, 1995 to hit the road with the Broadway show ‘Ain’t Misbehavin’. (AP Photo/Marty Reichenthal, File)

Anita’s only daughter Jada died in 2003 while her sister and band member Bonnie died in 2020 aged 69. Bonnie had been one of the founding members but left in the 1970s for a solo career. Their younger sister, June, also died in 2006 of cancer.

La Toya Jackson, Andy Madadian and Anita Pointer celebrate Madadian’s Hollywood Walk of Fame star on January 17, 2020 in Los Angeles. (Mark Von Holden/Invision/AP, File)

The Pointer Sisters have two surviving brothers, Fritz and Aaron.

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The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

Haley Chi-Sing is a Fox News Digital production assistant. You can reach her at @haleychising on Twitter.