Mary Wilson, Founding Member Of The Supremes, Found Dead
Shocking news out of Nevada today as one of the founding members of the legendary Motown group "The Supremes" was found dead.
According to CNN, Mary Wilson, was found dead in her home in Henderson, Nevada on Monday at the age of 76. She "passed away suddenly" according to a statement from her longtime friend and publicist Jay Schwartz.
Wilson began her singing career in 1959 after meeting another founding member Florence Ballard in elementary school and began performing in school talent shows. The two would later join a group called The Primettes which was already formed with Diana Ross and Betty McGlown. They signed to Motown in 1961 and changed their name to "The Supremes" and McGlown left the group which made them a trio.
3 years later, The Supremes were global superstars and became one of the best selling groups of all time and the most successful act for Motown in the 1960s scoring a record 12 number one singles.
Wilson stayed with The Supremes through many lineup changes until the group disbanded in 1977, a decade after Ballard left in 1967 and Ross in 1970. Wilson went on to publish 2 memoirs about her time with group that became New York Times bestsellers in the 80's as well as a motivational speaker, businesswoman, and US Cultural Ambassador.
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