Mary Wilson of the Supremes died suddenly on February 8th at the age of 76 at her home in Henderson, Nevada, according to Rolling Stone. Wilson is survived by her daughter, son, grandchildren, a sister and brother. Due to the ongoing pandemic, a public celebration of Wilson's life will take place later this year, according to her publicist.
Wilson is the second of the original Supremes to die. February 22nd will mark the 45th anniversary of co-founder Florence Ballard's death at age of 32. The singer died of coronary thrombosis — a blood clot in one of her coronary arteries. The surviving Supremes are legednary frontwoman Diana Ross, who's now 76, and Ballard's replacement, 81-year-old Cindy Birdsong.
Mary Wilson co-founded the Supremes in 1959, with Diana Ross and Florence Ballard. The group, then known as the Primettes, was signed to Motown in 1960 by founder Berry Gordy, Jr. and went on to become the most successful female act of the 1960's, including a string of five Number One hits in less than a year, and 12 Number Ones overall. Wilson, who held the distinction of being the only member of the Supremes to never quit or be fired, disbanded the group in 1976. She has written two books on her life and career — the 1986 bestseller Dreamgirl: My Life As A Supreme, and 1990's Supreme Faith: Someday We'll Be Together. In 2019 Wilson appeared as a contestant on ABC's Dancing With The Stars.