Singer Ronnie Spector performing in 2017 in Anaheim, Calif.
Jesse Grant / Getty Images for NAMMA
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Jesse Grant / Getty Images for NAMMA
Singer Ronnie Spector performing in 2017 in Anaheim, Calif.
Jesse Grant / Getty Images for NAMMA
Singer Ronnie Spector, who formed the girl group The Ronettes in 1961, has died after a short battle with cancer. She is 78 years old.
“Our beloved Earth Angel, Ronnie, has peacefully left this world today,” her family wrote on the singer’s personal page. website. “She was with her family and in the arms of her husband, Jonathan. Ronnie lived her life to the fullest with her sparkling eyes, alert attitude, sense of humor and smile. She was full of love and heart. Her joyful voice, playful nature, and magical presence will live forever in the hearts of all who have ever known, heard, or seen her.”
Spector was born in Spanish Harlem and founded The Ronettes as a teenager. “Be My Baby”, “Walking In The Rain” and “Do I Love You” were among the pop hits the girl group recorded.
She is married to Phil Spector, producer and writer of many of those hits. Spector abused her, and they divorced; Ronnie Spector documented the abuse in her 2004 memoir, Be My Baby: How I Survived Mascara, Miniskirts, and Madness.
The Ronettes are nominated for major rock acts including The Rolling Stones and Eric Clapton. The Beatles hand-picked the group for their US tour in 1966, and The Ronettes were introduce inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007.
The family wrote that, instead of flowers, Spector asked for donations “to your local women’s shelter or to the American Indian College.” Fund.”
Celebrations of Spector’s life and music will be announced at a later date.
