Bonnie Pointer, a founding member of The Pointer Sisters, passed away on Monday, June 8 at age 69 in Los Angeles, California. She reportedly died from cardiac arrest. Her sister Anita Pointer confirmed the news of her passing in a statement.
“It is with great sadness that I have to announce to the fans of the Pointer Sisters that my sister, Bonnie died this morning,” said Anita. “Our family is devastated, on behalf of my siblings and I and the entire Pointer family, we ask for your prayers at this time.”
Bonnie began singing with her sisters in their father’s Oakland church over five decades ago. She and her younger sister June Pointer formed the group Pointers, a Pair in 1969, and began performing in nightclubs.
Anita joined the group later, before their other sibling Ruth came on in 1972, making them a quartet. The Pointer Sisters released their debut album one year later and it spawned the hit “Yes We Can Can.”
Their 1974 sophomore effort “That’s a Plenty” also saw success with the crossover hit “Fairytale,” which won a Grammy for Best Country Vocal Performance.
The Pointer Sisters ended up being one of the biggest acts of the 1980s and pushed the R&B genre forward with a spectacular melding of funk, soul, pop, and rock.
After recording five albums with her sisters, Bonnie went solo in 1977 and signed a deal with Motown.
She released a disco rendition of a song by The Elgins, “Heaven Must Have Sent You,” a couple of years later; it reached No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. Bonnie then released three more solo albums for Motown before slowing down as a singer and performer.
But earlier this year, she and Anita released the song “Feels Like June” to honor their sister June Pointer, who passed away from cancer in 2006.
Bonnie reunited with her sisters twice since going solo. In 1994, The Pointer Sisters received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, then in 1996 when they all performed in Las Vegas. Bonnie Pointer is survived by sisters Ruth and Anita and brothers Aaron and Fritz.
“The Pointer Sisters never would have happened had it not been for Bonnie,” said Anita in her statement.
