Pointer Sisters founder Bonnie Pointer dies age 69

Bonnie Pointer, founding member of the Pointer Sisters, died this week from cardiac arrest at age 69.

Pointer started the legendary R&B group with her sister, June Pointer, as a duo called Pointers—A Pair in 1969. By 1972, with the addition of fellow sisters Anita and Ruth, they were called The Pointer Sisters, and with Bonnie would release several hits like “Yes We Can Can” and “Fairytale,” with a repertoire that spanned jazz, soul, funk, country and rock. (They were the first ever African-American act to perform at Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry.)

They also had early gigs as backing vocalists for artists like Sylvester and Boz Scaggs, and songs like the Bonnie Pointer-led “Don’t It Drive You Crazy” became cult hits among rare groove obsessives.

Bonnie left the group in 1977, before some of their biggest hits (including many that were dance floor smashes), but she embarked on a successful solo career through the late ’70s and ’80s, with disco-informed tracks like “Heaven Must Have Sent You” and “I Can’t Help Myself” making traction on the charts.

“Bonnie was my best friend and we talked every day,” Anita Pointer told CNN. “We never had a fight in our life. I already miss her and I will see her again one day.”

Watch the group perform “Fairytale.”

Listen to Bonnie Pointer’s “Heaven Must Have Sent You.”

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