June Pointer
June Antoinette Pointer Whitmore (November 30, 1953 – April 11, 2006) was an American R&B singer and was a founding member of the legendary vocal group The Pointer Sisters.
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Biography
Early life and career
Born the youngest of six to minister parents, June shared a love for singing with her three sisters. In 1969, she and sister Bonnie founded The Pointers - A Pair. The duo became a trio later on that year when Anita quit her job as a secretary to join them, changing their name to The Pointer Sisters. After failed singles with Atlantic Records, and after recruiting eldest sister Ruth in 1972 to form a quartet, the group signed with Blue Thumb where their history-making career finally began taking off.
The Pointer Sisters and solo career
Releasing their self-titled debut album in 1973, the Pointer Sisters found fame with hit singles such as "Yes We Can Can", the country hit, "Fairytale", and the R&B hits, "How Long (Betcha Got a Chick on the Side)" and "You Gotta Believe" before Bonnie made a sudden exit from the group to forge a solo career in 1977.
After much thought, the remaining sisters decided to continue on as a trio. Their decision sparked the group's biggest successes, finding stardom with Top 10 pop singles such as their Bruce Springsteen cover of "Fire" (1978), "He's So Shy" (1980), "Slow Hand" (1981), and "I'm So Excited" (1982), before releasing their landmark 1983 recording, Break Out, which featured the group's biggest hits, "Jump (for My Love)" and a re-release of "Excited". June is notable for being the lead singer of hits such as "He's So Shy", "Jump (For My Love)", "Baby Come and Get It" and "Dare Me". The group eventually would receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, confirming their legendary status.
June ventured into a solo career, releasing solo albums in 1983 and 1989, scoring hits with "Ready For Some Love" (1983) and 1989's "Tight On Time (I'll Fit U In)". She also performed the song "Little Boy Sweet" for the hit 1983 film National Lampoon's Vacation. Her backing vocals with the Pointers helped Bruce Willis score a top 5 pop single in 1987 with a cover of the Staples Singers' "Respect Yourself". June also gained some notoriety for posing for Playboy magazine in 1985.
Struggling with drug addiction for much of her life and actually spending some time away from her sisters for a brief time during the mid-'70s, June had left the Pointer Sisters officially by 2004. Her last few performances on stage were duets with estranged sister Bonnie.
Marriage
Divorced from William Oliver Whitmore II after a thirteen-year marriage that ended in 1991, June had no children.
Death
June died peacefully at 1:10 P.M., April 11, 2006 at the UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles, California from bone cancer, liver cancer, and lung cancer that spread throughout her body. She died in the arms of her older sisters Ruth and Anita, and with her brothers Aaron and Fritz by her side. She was 52.
References
- August 7, 2000. Cracking Down: After losing her wealth and home to drugs, singer June Pointer tries to clean up. People Weekly
- June Pointer via Internet Movie Database
- June Pointer profile
- Pointer Sisters discography
- June Pointer of the Pointer Sisters dies
- Death notice at The Dead Rock Stars Club website