Mary Wilson, original and longest-running member of legendary Motown girl group The Supremes, died Monday night at her home in Las Vegas, according to her longtime publicist, Jay Schwartz. The singer, author, activist, and former U.S. Cultural Ambassador was 76 years old and passed away suddenly.
Known as the ‘sweethearts of Motown’ Mary, along with Diana Ross and Florence Ballard, came to Motown in the early 1960s. They had unprecedented No. 1 hits, television, and nightclub bookings, and opened doors for themselves, and other Motown acts.
The Supremes’ first top 40 hit was “When the Lovelight Starts Shining Through His Eyes.”
Mary Wilson was quite a star in her own right after leaving the group, focusing on theater, live touring and motivational speaking.
