Patricia Eva ‘Bonnie’ Pointer passed away on Monday, June 8th, aged 69, due to a cardiac arrest.
Photo: Harry Langdon/Getty Images
Bonnie Pointer was a founding member of R’n’B group The Pointer Sisters, alongside sisters June and Anita. In 1972 the group expanded to include their sister Ruth and immediately rose to significant commercial and critical success.
The Pointer Sisters made their way into the US Billboard Hot 100 pop singles chart an astounding 13 times. Standout hits ‘Fire’ and ‘Slow Hand’ both reached number two. They also had five singles in the UK top 20, including ‘Automatic’ which grabbed the number two spot.
The group also won three Grammy Awards, the first coming in 1974 for ‘Fairytale’. Later on, they would lift two others in 1985 for ‘Jump (For My Love)’ and ‘Automatic’. The sisters even have their own star on Hollywood’s ‘Walk of Fame’, awarded to them in back in 1994.
Bonnie left the group in 1978 to pursue her solo career. She released four albums from 1978 to 2011. Her self-titled debut album peaked at number 34 in the US R’n’B chart.
‘Our family is devastated, on behalf of my siblings and I and the entire Pointer family, we ask for your prayers at this time. Bonnie was my best friend and we talked every day. We never had a fight in our life. I already miss her and I will see her again one day’, said her sister Anita Pointer in an announcement on Monday, June 8th.
