Anita Pointer, who scored a string of hits with sibling group Pointer Sisters in the 1970s and 1980s, is dead at 74
- Pointer joined her sisters Bonnie and June to form the former Pointer Sisters
- The group had commercial success in the 1970s and 1980s
- She appeared with her sisters in the 1976 film Car Wash
- Anita’s sister June died in 2006 while Bonnie died in 2020
Anita Pointer, who sang with her sisters to commercial fame as the Pointer Sisters, has died aged 74.
Pointer died in her Los Angeles on Saturday, New Years Eve, according to her publicist Roger Neal.
The vocal group, which alternated between a trio and a quarter, scored hits with songs like Bruce Springsteen’s “I’m So Excited,” “Jump (For My Love)” and “Fire.”
Pointer’s death comes just two years after her sister Bonnie Pointer — who co-founded the Pointer Sisters in the late 1960s before going solo in the ’80s — died in 2020.
Swan song: Anita Pointer, who sang with her sisters and family members in the popular R&B and pop group The Pointer Sisters, died on Saturday at the age of 74, according to her publicist; Seen in LA in 2019
The singer-songwriter was surrounded by her family at the time of her death, which he attributed to cancer.
“While we are deeply saddened by the loss of Anita, we are comforted to know that she is now with her daughter Jada and sisters June & Bonnie and at peace,” Pointer’s family said in a statement. ‘Heaven is a loving beautiful place with Anita there.’
“She was the one who kept us all close and together for so long. Her love for our family will live on in each of us,” the statement continued, before urging fans to respect her family’s privacy.
Although the group started out as a duo with Bonnie and June Pointer in the late ’60s, Anita soon joined to grow it into a trio before sister Ruth Pointer expanded the band into a quartet in late 1972, just before it hit its commercial peak.
Triple force: After her sister Bonnie and June formed a duo in 1969, Anita joined to expand the Pointer Sisters into a trio; seen with sisters Ruth and June in 1980
Hitmakers: The vocal group, which alternated between a trio and a quarter, scored hits with songs like Bruce Springsteen’s “I’m So Excited,” “Jump (For My Love)” and “Fire”; Ruth, June and Anita seen in 1979
The sisters grew up singing in their father’s church, a preacher in Oakland, California.
Her debut album in 1973 spawned her first hit single, Yes We Can Can.
Some of their bigger hits included Fire in 1978, He’s So Shy in 1980, Slow Hand in 1981, and Neutron Dance, Automatic, and Jump in 1983. 1982’s I’m So Excited remains a standard.
The group has won three Grammys over the course of their decade-long career.
Family: In recent years the group has continued to perform with Ruth singing along with her daughter Issa and granddaughter Sadako; Anita (R) accompanied by sister Ruth Pointer (L) and daughter Sadako Johnson
Anita’s tenure with the Pointer Sisters ended in 2015 when she resigned due to ill health.
In recent years, the group has continued to perform with Ruth singing along with her daughter Issa and granddaughter Sadako.
In a 2019 interview, Anita gave the new cast her seal of approval via diversity.
“They do some great shows and have been all over the world without me,” she said. “I worked with Issa and Sadako so they got a good feel for what I was doing until I kind of had to retire due to health issues, but Ruthie can still sing so strongly and loves it.”
Time out: Anita’s tenure with the Pointer Sisters ended in 2015 when she resigned for health reasons; Seen in New Orleans in 2012