ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½

Skip to main content

Anita Pointer of the Pointer Sisters dead at 74

Anita Pointer of The Pointer Sisters performs on stage at PNE Amphitheatre during Day 14 of The Fair At The PNE on August 31, 2014 in Vancouver, Canada. (Photo by Andrew Chin/Getty Images) Anita Pointer of The Pointer Sisters performs on stage at PNE Amphitheatre during Day 14 of The Fair At The PNE on August 31, 2014 in Vancouver, Canada. (Photo by Andrew Chin/Getty Images)
Share

Anita Pointer, one of the Grammy-winning Pointer Sisters whose string of pop, country and R&B hits in the 1970s and '80s included "I'm So Excited," "Jump (For My Love)" and "Fire," died of cancer on Saturday at age 74, her publicist said.

Pointer was surrounded by family at her Beverly Hills home when she died, publicist Roger Neal said.

Anita was the second oldest of four sisters who started performing as the duo of June and Bonnie in 1969 and soon became a trio when Anita quit her job as a secretary to join the group, according to an official biography.

The Pointer Sisters later became a quartet for a while with Ruth, the only one of the original singing sisters still alive, though Bonnie left the group in the late 1970s and they became a trio once again. The Pointer sisters also have two surviving brothers, Fritz and Aaron.

Anita was preceded in death by her daughter Jada, who died in 2003, when Anita took over raising her granddaughter, Roxie McKain Pointer.

"While we are deeply saddened by the loss of Anita, we are comforted in knowing she is now with her daughter Jada and her sisters June & Bonnie and at peace. She was the one that kept all of us close and together for so long. Her love of our family will live on in each of us," the family said in a statement.

The sisters grew up singing in the church of their father, a preacher in Oakland, California.

Their debut album in 1973 produced their first hit single "Yes We Can Can."

Among their bigger hits were "Fire" in 1978, "He's So Shy" in 1980, "Slow Hand" in 1981, and "Neutron Dance," "Automatic" and "Jump" in 1983. "I'm So Excited" from 1982 remains a standard.

In recent years, the group continued performing with Ruth singing along with her daughter Issa and granddaughter Sadako.

(Reporting by Daniel Trotta; editing by Kim Coghill)

CTVNews.ca ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½

Police have arrested an 18-year-old woman who allegedly stole a Porsche and then ran over its owner in an incident that was captured on video.

Since she was a young girl growing up in Vancouver, Ginny Lam says her mom Yat Hei Law made it very clear she favoured her son William, because he was her male heir.

Advocates have identified the woman who died this week after being shot by police in Surrey, B.C., as a South American refugee who was raising a young daughter.

Three men were injured after trying to subdue a man armed with a knife during afternoon prayers at a Montreal-area mosque Friday afternoon.

A 15-year-old boy who was the subject of an emergency alert in New Brunswick has been arrested.

The search for a missing six-year-old boy in Shamattawa is continuing Friday as RCMP hope recent tips can help lead to a happy conclusion.

Provincial police investigating the death of a cat that was allegedly set on fire in Orillia earlier this week released surveillance video of a person of interest in the case.

Local Spotlight

Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.

An anonymous business owner paid off the mortgage for a New Brunswick not-for-profit.

They say a dog is a man’s best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.

A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.

Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.

The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.

It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.

A Good Samaritan in New Brunswick has replaced a man's stolen bottle cart so he can continue to collect cans and bottles in his Moncton neighbourhood.