The Supremes founder Mary Wilson passes away at 76; Berry Gordy says the ‘trailblazer will be deeply missed’

died in her sleep at her home in Henderson, Nevada, on 8 February, the cause was hypertensive heart disease.  Just two days earlier she had announced the release of new recordings, expressing the hope that some of them would come out before 6 March, which would have been her 77th birthday.

Fred Bronson Ten women in the known universe have been official members of the legendary vocal group known as the Supremes — but only one woman was present in the lineup from the first day to the last.

Mary Wilson, the trailblazing co-founder of The Supremes, died suddenly on Monday evening at her home in Nevada. No cause of death was given.

Diana Ross is paying tribute to Mary Wilson. In an exclusive statement to ET, Ross remembers her late friend, with whom she performed as The Supremes, along with Florence Ballard, in the '60s.

Diana Ross has paid tribute to her fellow Supremes star, Mary Wilson, who has died, aged 76. The death of Wilson, who co-founded the Motown group when she was 15, was described by her publicist as "sudden".

Mary Wilson, legendary singer and founding member of Motown group The Supremes, died unexpectedly Monday evening. She was 76 years old.

Mary Wilson, a founding and longest-running member of The Supremes, has died. She was 76.

Mary Wilson, one of the original members of The Supremes, “passed away suddenly” at her Las Vegas home on Monday (Feb. 8) at age 76, leaving the world in mourning.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorDiana Ross, who cofounded the Supremes with Mary Wilson when both were in their early teens, paid tribute to her friend and longtime bandmate in a brief Twitter post on Tuesday.“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,” she wrote of Wilson (pictured above, left), who died Monday of undisclosed causes.

Diana Ross has paid tribute to her late Supremes bandmate Mary Wilson, who has died at the age of 76.Wilson’s death was confirmed overnight by her longtime publicist Jay Schwartz, who said that the singer died suddenly.

The Supremes‘ Diana Ross has released a statement about the death of Mary Wilson.

tweeted Tuesday morning.

direct to your inboxTributes have been paid to Mary Wilson, the longest-reigning original Supreme who has died aged 76, as she was described as "a trailblazer and diva, who will be deeply missed."Wilson died on Monday night at her home in Las Vegas and the cause was not immediately clear, said publicist Jay Schwartz.Along with Diana Ross and Florence Ballard, Mary Wilson made up the first successful line-up of The Supremes.The band were best known for the 1966 hit You Can't Hurry Love - which

died unexpectedly at her home near Las Vegas on Monday night, according to her longtime publicist, Jay Schwartz. She was 76, and no cause of death was disclosed.

publicist confirmed.Mary was best known for co-founding The Supremes at just 15 years-old alongside Diana Ross and Florence Ballard in Detroit.She remained with the Motown Records trio until its dissolution in 1977.Motown label's founder Berry Gordy spoke fondly of Mary in a statement, saying: "A trailblazer, a diva and will be deeply missed."He continued: "I was extremely shocked and saddened to hear of the passing of a major member of the Motown family, Mary Wilson of the Supremes."She was