Anita Pointer, best known as part of Grammy-winning group The Pointer Sisters, has died at the age of 74, her family confirmed.
The singer died from cancer on Saturday at the age of 74, and her family shared a heartfelt statement on New Year's Day.
Her sister, Ruth, brothers Aaron and Fritz, and her granddaughter Roxie McKain Pointer said in a statement: "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 and Bonnie, and at peace.
"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."
Anita was a founding member of The Pointer Sisters but was forced to quit performing in 2015 due to unspecified health issues.
The group, which found fame in the 1970s, consisted of Anita and her sisters June, Bonnie, and Ruth. Together they released a string of hits including 'He’s So Shy' and 'Jump (For My Love)'.
The Pointer Sisters won three Grammy Awards throughout the course of their career, including one in a country category for their song Fairytale, released in 1974.
Anita's death comes two years after the loss of her sister Bonnie, who died in June 2020. Paying tribute at the time, Anita said: "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.
"The Pointer Sisters would never have happened had it not been for Bonnie."
The group also lost their sister June - the youngest member of the group - in 2006. The 52-year-old had been hospitalized after suffering a stroke when it was discovered that she also had cancer, which had metastasized in her breast, colon, liver, and bones.
Anita's publicist Roger Neal confirmed that she was surrounded by her family at her Beverly Hills home when she died.
She was preceded in death by her daughter Jada, who died from cancer in 2003 at the age of 37, after which Anita took over raising her granddaughter, Roxie McKain Pointer.
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