Founder of The Supremes, Mary Wilson, has passed away at the age of 76.
Wilson’s publicist Jay Schwartz confirmed the death to the Associated Press, detailing she died in her Las Vegas, Nevada home on Monday night. There is currently no reported cause of death.
Wilson along with Diana Ross, Florence Ballard and Betty McGlown composed the original version of The Supremes.
“I was extremely shocked and saddened to hear of the passing of a major member of the Motown family, Mary Wilson of the Supreme,” said Berry Gordy in a statement. “The Supremes were always known as the ‘sweethearts of Motown.’ Mary, along with Diana Ross and Florence Ballard, came to Motown in the early 1960s. After an unprecedented string of No. 1 hits, television and nightclub bookings, they opened doors for themselves, the other Motown acts, and many, many others. … I was always proud of Mary. She was quite a star in her own right and over the years continued to work hard to boost the legacy of the Supremes. Mary Wilson was extremely special to me. She was a trailblazer, a diva and will be deeply missed.”
