American singer and co-founder of The Supremes, Mary Wilson has died suddenly at age 76 in her Las Vegas, Nevada home in the United States.

The Supremes was the most successful Motown act of the 1960s and the best-charting female group in US history.

Before her death, Wilson had announced in a YouTube video that she was working to release a project with the Universal Music Group.

In the video Wilson said she was looking forward to upcoming interviews during Black History Month about the Supremes and their experiences with racial segregation

Breaking barriers

Wilson was a “trendsetter who broke down social, racial, and gender barriers,” her longtime friend and publicist, Jay Schwartz said in a statement.

“She was quite a star in her own right and over the years continued to work hard to boost the legacy of the Supremes,” Schwartz said.

“Mary Wilson was extremely special to me. She was a trailblazer, a diva and will be deeply missed. I was always proud of Mary,” Motown Records founder Berry Gordy said in a statement.

She began her career in 1959 as a singer in what was then called The Primettes.

The Primettes was a female-dominated group started by Wilson and Florence Ballard and was later joined by Diana Ross. Ballard, who struggled with addiction and depression, was replaced by Cindy Birdsong in 1967.

The group later changed its name to The Supremes, with 12 number one singles including Where Did Our Love Go, Baby Love, and Stop! In the name of Love.

Their influence didn’t only carry on to the contemporary R&B, soul and pop musical culture, that we all know and love; but they also helped black artistes across all genres to achieve mainstream success.

Wilson was the only member of the group who didn’t leave, and who kept the group intact.

The Supremes parted ways in 1977.

After that, Wilson took the opportunity to release a self-titled solo LP.

She was more than a singer. She was an author, motivational speaker, businesswoman, and US Cultural Ambassador.

“Wilson used her fame and flair to promote a diversity of humanitarian efforts including ending hunger, raising HIV/AIDS awareness and encouraging world peace,” stated Schwartz.

Her tell-all memoir Dreamgirl: My Life As a Supreme, became a 1986 best seller.

She went on to write two more books about her life in the Supremes, in 1990 and 2019.

In 2018, Billboard celebrated the 60th anniversary of Motown Records with a list of ‘The Hot 100’s Top Artistes of All Time’, and listed The Supremes at number 16.

Wilson was well accomplished and, as a black woman advocating on behalf of the black race, she truly made a mark.

She was also instrumental in passing the Music Modernization Act (MMA) in 2018.

According to Schwartz, Wilson aimed to modernise copyright-related issues for new music and audio recordings in the face of new technology like digital streaming which did not protect music recorded before February 15, 1972.

Wilson is survived by a daughter and son from her marriage to former Supremes manager Pedro Ferrer, whom she divorced in 1981, as well as several grandchildren.

Her family, in an effort to continue her work, has asked friends and fans to support the United Negro College Fund and the Humpty Dumpty Institute in lieu of flowers.