2023 has just begun and a pair of noted Black entertainers, Anita Pointer of The Pointer Sisters, and Earth, Wind and Fire drummer Fred White, have passed.
Anita Pointer passes on NYE
Pointer died before the clock struck midnight to bring in the new year. She died from cancer on Dec. 31, 2022 at the age of 74.
“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,” according to The Pointer Family’s statement.
“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. Please respect our privacy during this period of grief and loss. Heaven is a more loving, beautiful place with Anita there.”
Pointer was an active member of the group from its founding in 1969 until her illness forced her to step down in 2015.
She and her three sisters Bonnie, Ruth, and June achieved great success as a sister quartet. The group released their self-titled debut album “The Pointer Sisters” in 1973. It reached No. 13 on the US chart, and their first single “Yes We Can Can” went to No. 11. They followed with other chart-topping singles including “Automatic” and more. They were also the first Black group to perform at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville.
Anita Marie Pointer was born Jan. 23, 1948, to Rev. Elton and Sarah Pointer. Anita was the second oldest. Ruth born in 1946 was the oldest and the youngest were Bonnie and June born in 1950 and 1953. The sisters also had two older brothers Aaron, a retired baseball player, born in 1942 and Fritz, an English professor born in 1943.
She graduated from Oakland Technical High School in 1965. Only 17, she married David Harper that same year. Their daughter Jada was born in 1966, and she inspired the sisters’ song “Jada” on their debut album.
The Pointer Sister grew up singing gospel music in their father’s church, the West Oakland Church of God.
Bonnie and June formed the duo, The Pointer Sisters – A Pair in 1969. Then Anita quit her secretarial job and they became The Pointer Sisters. They later became a quarter when Ruth joined in 1972.
Anita divorced twice. Her only daughter died in 2003. June died in 2006 and Bonnie in 2020. Anita leaves behind a granddaughter Roxie, and her siblings Ruth, Aaron, and Fritz.
