Bonnie Pointer, one of the founding siblings of the Pointer Sisters, has died at the age of 69.
“It is with great sadness that I have to announce to the fans of the Pointer Sisters that my sister Bonnie died this morning,” said Anita Pointer of her sister, Patricia, a.k.a Bonnie, in a statement to Variety. “Our family is devastated. On behalf of my siblings and I and the entire Pointer family, we ask for your prayers at this time.”
The sisters got their start singing in their father's church, The Church of God in West Oakland, California. The quartet's debut album in 1973 got them mainstream success and they won their first Grammy Award in 1975 for the song "Fairytale," written by Anita and Bonnie, according to the group's official bio.
The sisters became the first black female group to perform at the Grand Ole Opry and Elvis sang their song on his last studio album.
Bonnie left the group in the mid-1970s to pursue a solo music career.
The youngest Pointer sister, June, died in 2006 after she was diagnosed with cancer, according to Billboard. Earlier this year, Bonnie and Anita released the song "Feels Like June" in honor of their late sister.
A spokesperson told Variety that song was Bonnie's final recording.
