Anita, founding member of the Pointer Sisters, dies at 74

American singer Anita Pointer, who enjoyed success in the 1970s and 1980s with her sisters in the rhythm and blues band Pointer Sisters, has announced that she has died at the age of 74 due to cancer.

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Roger Neal posted on Instagram: “Sad to announce that my Grammy award-winning client, Anita Poynter, has passed away after a heroic battle with cancer.”

She died on New Year’s Eve at her home in Los Angeles, surrounded by her family, he told CNN.

“Although we are deeply saddened by the loss of Anita, we are relieved to know that she is now with her daughter, Jada, and her two sisters, John and Bonnie, and at peace,” Poynter’s family said in a statement.

The group, originally from Oakland, California, was originally formed by Anita and her sisters June (died April 2006), Bonnie (died June 2020) and then Ruth. They started singing in the church where their father was pastoring in Auckland.

The Pointer Sisters, who initially featured jazz, bebop and gospel, released their debut album in 1973 and won three Grammy Awards during their career. Their foray into country music with “Fairytale” in 1975, their first hit, earned them an invitation to the legendary auditorium at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, a first for black artists.

The band grew to three members after Bonnie split up in 1977 to pursue a solo career.

That didn’t stop the Pointer Sisters doubling down on their turn-of-the-’80s hits—”Fire,” “He’s So Shy,” “Slow Hand,” or “I’m So Excited”—with a repertoire that oscillates between nods to ’40s scat and disco.

Although their popularity waned in the late 1980s, the Pointer Sisters continued to perform in concert. June Pointer left the group in 2004, and was replaced by Ruth’s daughter, Issa.