The Pointer Sisters singer Anita Pointer has died at 74
Anita Pointer, one of the founding members of The Pointer Sisters, died on New Year’s Eve at the age of 74, her family has confirmed in a new statement.
Pointer died following a battle with cancer at her home in Beverly Hills, surrounded by her close friends and family, according to her publicist Roger Neal.
“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 and Bonnie are at peace,” her family stated. “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.”
Anita was the second oldest of the Pointer family’s four daughters and joined her younger sisters, June and Bonnie, in a singing group as they began circling California clubs in 1969. Two years later, the trio signed with Atlantic Records, but their early singles struggled to enhance their prominence.
In 1972, the eldest sister, Ruth, joined the group to complete the foursome as they signed a new deal with Blue Thumb Records. Here, they reshaped their sound, drawing increasingly from jazz and bebop influences. They released the debut album The Pointer Sisters in 1973, which held their first hit single, ‘Yes We Can Can’.
In 1979, Bonnie left the group, throwing the future of the remaining trio onto the balance. However, urged by their success over the ‘70s, the trio again reshaped their sound, this time with a modern pop persuasion.
After setting their sights on the charts, the group’s rebranding was no failure. Over the ‘80s, the Pointer Sisters became one of America’s most popular sister acts with scores of top ten hits, including ‘He’s So Shy’, ‘Jump (For My Love)’, ‘I’m So Excited’, ‘Automatic’, ‘Neutron Dance’.
In her personal life, Anita was mother to one daughter, Jada, who inspired the song of the same name on The Pointer Sisters’ debut album. Jada tragically died of cancer at 37 in 2003, with Anita subsequently raising her granddaughter Roxie McKain Pointer.
Anita retired in 2015 due to health complications, with her sister Ruth continuing the group with her daughter Issa and granddaughter Sadako. Ruth is now the only surviving original member of The Pointer Sisters, following June’s death in 2006 and Bonnie’s in 2020.
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