[ad_1]
George Stroud / Getty Images
Mary Wilson, co-founder of The Supremes, died at age 76 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Mary Wilson, the original longest-ruling Supreme, died at age 76.
Wilson died Monday night at his home in Las Vegas and the cause was not immediately clear, publicist Jay Schwartz said.
Carlos Osorio / AP
Mary Wilson, former member of The Supremes.
Wilson, Diana Ross and Florence Ballard constituted the first successful configuration of The Supremes. He stayed with the group until Motown officially disbanded it in 1977.
The group’s first number one song, with sales in the millions Where did our love go, was released on June 17, 1964.
READ MORE:
* From Aretha Franklin to Whitney Houston: Celebrating the Women of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
* The Sapphires: The Aussie Killer Who Taps Feet and Pitch Perfect Comes to Netflix
“I remember instead of going home by bus, we flew,” he told The Associated Press in 2014.
“That was our first plane trip. We fly home. We had really taken a big hit. ”
The group also recorded the hits You can’t rush love Climbing the ladder to the roof, ‘Y Stop! In the name of love.
“I was deeply moved and saddened to learn of the passing of an important member of the Motown family, Mary Wilson of the Supreme,” Motown founder Berry Gordy said in a statement Monday night, according to Variety.
“The Supremes were always known as the ‘Motown girlfriends.’
