Photo via Anita Pointer’s Official Facebook

Anita Pointer, the singer best known as a member of girls group, The Pointer Sisters, passed away on Dec. 31 at her home in Beverly Hills, Calif., following a battle with cancer. She was 74.

“While we are deeply saddened by the loss of Anita, we are comforted in knowing she is now with her daughter, Jada, and her sisters, June & Bonnie and at peace,” wrote sister Ruth, brothers Aaron and Fritz, and granddaughter Roxie McKain Pointer, in a statement shared via The Pointer Sisters’ official website. 

“She was the one that kept all of us close and together for so long. Her love of our family will live on in each of us. Please respect our privacy during this period of grief and loss. Heaven is a more loving beautiful place with Anita there,” they concluded. 

Pointer was born on Jan. 23, 1948, in Oakland, Calif., the fourth of six children. She grew up singing at her father’s church, where he served as a reverend. By 1969, the vocalist quit her job as a secretary and joined her siblings, Bonnie, June and Ruth, to create The Pointer Sisters. 

In 1973, the ensemble delivered its self-titled debut album along with the hit single, “Yes We Can Can,” initially penned by Allen Toussaint, which reached no. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100. The following year, Anita and Bonnie wrote “Fairytale,” which earned them their first Grammy win. The single also crossed the country and pop charts, which gave the band the opportunity to perform at the Grand Ole Opry. 

The group continued to turn out hits and receive prestigious awards for their work throughout the ‘70s and ‘80s. Their biggest successes stemming from the release of “He’s So Shy,” “Slow Hand,” “Automatic,” “Jump (For My Love),” “I’m So Excited” and “Neutron Dance,” all of which reached the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Eventually, The Pointer Sisters received a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1994. In 1996, the band performed for former president Bill Clinton at The White House and closed out the Olympic Ceremonies in Atlanta. In 2020, Pointer and her brother Fritz wrote a book about their childhood and the family band’s rise to fame, entitled, Fairytale. 

The artist is preceded in death by her only daughter, Jada, who passed away in 2003 and sisters, June and Bonnie. Pointer is survived by siblings Ruth, Aaron and Fritz, as well as her beloved granddaughter, Roxie.