The world is mourning the sudden death of Mary Wilson, who passed away on Monday at her home near Las Vegas.
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In the early 1960s, Wilson, Florence Ballard, and Diana Ross joined together to form The Supremes, the iconic female singing trio which put Motown Records on the map and was the blueprint for female singing groups such as The Emotions, Destiny’s Child, and others that followed.
Following the death of Florence Ballard and the solo career of Diana Ross, Wilson continued to perform across the world with various versions of ‘Supremes.’ Only a few days ago, she created a YouTube video discussing new music she intended to release on her birthday in March.
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“I was extremely shocked and saddened to hear of the passing of a major member of the Motown family, Mary Wilson of the Supremes,” Berry Gordy said in a statement Monday night. “The Supremes were always known as the ‘sweethearts of Motown.’ Mary, along with Diana Ross and Florence Ballard, came to Motown in the early 1960s. After an unprecedented string of No. 1 hits, television and nightclub bookings, they opened doors for themselves, the other Motown acts, and many, many others. … I was always proud of Mary. She was quite a star in her own right and over the years continued to work hard to boost the legacy of the Supremes. Mary Wilson was extremely special to me. She was a trailblazer, a diva and will be deeply missed.”
“OMG! Mary Wilson of the Supremes has died suddenly. I was just on a Zoom call with her Wednesday for about an hour & never could have imagined this,” said rocker Paul Stanley. “So full of life & great stories. Absolutely shocked. Rest In Supreme Peace Mary.”
Even Diana Ross took to Twitter to express sympathies, saying she had “so many wonderful memories” of their time together while sending condolences to Wilson’s family.
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I just woke up to this news , my condolences to you Mary’s family ,I am reminded that each day is a gift ,I have so many wonderful memories of our time together “The Supremes ” will live on ,in our hearts 💕
— Ms. Ross (@DianaRoss) February 9, 2021
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Mary Wilson was 76.
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My parents’ generation were huge fans of “The Motown Sound”. I grew up in a house where MUSIC reigned/and reigns Supreme…period. But especially the sounds of The Temptations, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, The Supremes and The Four Tops- those were among my (late) father’s favorites. And he played records/albums by those groups and many other incredible music artists all the time.
I could go on and on about how being exposed to a plethora of such incredible music (since birth) impacted my life personally and the lives of my sibs…but I’ll stop here. (smile)
Rest in Peace, Mary Wilson.