Remembering Helen Reddy

• Helen Reddy, who became an emblem of feminism with her 1972 smash “I Am Woman,” died Tuesday, Sept. 29 at the age of 78, according to Variety. It was reported in 2015 that Reddy was suffering from dementia and was being cared for at the Motion Picture and Television Fund’s Samuel Goldwyn Center for Behavioral Health in Woodland Hills, CA.

In a statement, Reddy’s daughter Traci and son, Jordan, said, “It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved mother, Helen Reddy, on the afternoon of September 29th 2020 in Los Angeles. She was a wonderful Mother, Grandmother and a truly formidable woman. Our hearts are broken. But we take comfort in the knowledge that her voice will live on forever.”

Reddy’s ex-husband and one-time manager, Jeff Wald, said, “I am very sad to announce that my first wife of 18 years and the mother of my two oldest, Traci & Jordan,” has died. “Traci spent the morning with Helen and she passed soon after under the excellent care of the Motion & Television Home.”

Reddy’s anthem, “I Am Woman” reached No. 1 in 1972 and was succeeded by further chart-toppers, “Delta Dawn” in 1973 and “Angie Baby,” in ’74. Her other top 10 hits in the U.S. included “Leave Me Alone (Ruby Red Dress),” “You and Me Against the World” and “Ain’t No Way to Treat a Lady.” She last topped the American chart with 1976’s “I Can’t Hear You No More.”