Remembering The Supremes’ Mary Wilson
• Mary Wilson, co-founder of Motown’s legendary Supremes, died Monday night at her home in Las Vegas at the age of 76. Wilson’s longtime publicist, Jay Schwartz, reported that Wilson died suddenly. The circumstances of her death were not immediately revealed.
In a statement, Motown Records Founder Berry Gordy said, “I was extremely shocked and saddened to hear of the passing of a major member of the Motown family, Mary Wilson. 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.”
> As Variety notes, alongside lead vocalist Diana Ross and founding member Florence Ballard (and with Ballard’s replacement Cindy Birdsong), Wilson appeared on all 12 of the Supremes’ No. 1 pop hits from 1964-69; during that period, the act charted a total of 16 top-10 pop singles and 19 top-10 R&B 45s (six of them chart-toppers).
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) issued the following statement, “The entire RIAA family is deeply saddened at the sudden passing of our dear friend, Mary Wilson. Mary was known to all as a founding member of the groundbreaking Platinum-awarded legends The Supremes. Off stage, we were also blessed to know her as an urgent voice in the fight for civil rights and a fierce defender of her fellow artists and musicians. Mary Wilson was always ready to make the trip to Washington, DC to walk the halls of Congress and make a compelling and unapologetic case for artist rights directly to policymakers. Her efforts helped to pass the Music Modernization Act of 2018, which gave protections to legacy artists. She also led the fight in the states for Truth in Music Advertising legislation to protect classic acts from copycats and which — thanks to Mary — are now the law of the land in 35 states including, just last year, Hawaii.”
RIAA Chairman & CEO Mitch Glazier said, “Mary was a force of nature. She never stopped pushing for what she thought was right and would not shy away from a worthy fight. And she made a difference — securing fair treatment for generations of classic artists and paving the way for tomorrow’s stars. A towering figure in the history of music and artist rights, all of us at RIAA are proud and honored to have called Mary a friend. We send our deepest condolences to her family and loved ones during this difficult time.”
Schwartz said funeral services will be private because of COVID, but there will be a public memorial later this year.
