June Pointer

June Antoinette Pointer (November 30, 1953 – April 11, 2006) was an American singer, best known as the youngest of the founding members of the vocal group the Pointer Sisters.

Born the youngest of six children to minister parents Reverend Elton and Sarah Pointer, June shared a love of singing with her sisters.

June was raped at the age of fifteen which caused her to have depression.

In 1969, she and sister Bonnie founded the Pointers.

The duo sang at numerous clubs, then became a trio later that year when sister Anita quit her job as a secretary to join them.

The group officially changed its name to the Pointer Sisters.

The trio signed a record deal with Atlantic Records and released a few singles, none of which made a substantial impact on the music charts.

In 1972, sister Ruth joined the group, making it a quartet.

The sisters then signed with Blue Thumb Records, and their career began to take off.

Releasing their self-titled debut album in 1973, the Pointer Sisters found immediate fame with hits such as "Yes We Can Can" and "Wang Dang Doodle".

Subsequent albums boasted top-charting songs such as "Fairytale", "How Long (Betcha Got a Chick on the Side)" and "You Gotta Believe".

June left the group in November 1975, having been advised to retire because of extreme mental and physical exhaustion.

Bonnie Pointer left the group to forge a solo career in 1977.

June was married to William Oliver Whitmore II from 1978 until 1991.

She had no children.

Upon June's return, the remaining sisters found huge success, reaching the Top 10 in early 1979 with a cover of Bruce Springsteen's "Fire"; this time began a string of hits that included "Happiness", "He's So Shy" (1980), "Slow Hand" (1981), "American Music", "Should I Do It" and "I'm So Excited".

It included the top 10 hits "Automatic"; "Jump (For My Love)"; a re-release of "I'm So Excited", which became a bigger hit than when originally released in 1982; and "Neutron Dance".

Subsequent albums spawned hits such as "Dare Me", "Freedom" and "Goldmine".

June sang lead vocals on several of the group's top singles, including "Happiness", "He's So Shy", "Jump (For My Love)", "Baby Come and Get It" and "Dare Me".

In 1983, the group released Break Out, their biggest album to date.

Eventually, June ventured into a solo career while staying with the Pointer Sisters; she released the Baby Sister album in 1983 (it scored a modest hit with "Ready for Some Action", #28 R&B) and a self-titled effort in 1989 (its charting single was "Tight on Time (Fit U In), #70 R&B)".

June also performed the song "Little Boy Sweet" for the 1983 film National Lampoon's Vacation.

Baby Sister (1983, Planet Records)

She also gained notoriety for posing for Playboy in 1985.

In 1987, she scored a top 5 pop single with Bruce Willis with a cover of the Staples Singers' "Respect Yourself".

June recorded a duet with Dionne Warwick, "Heartbreak of Love", for Warwick's 1987 album Reservations for Two.

Their duet later appeared on the B-side of Warwick's 1989 single "Take Good Care of You and Me".

June Pointer (1989, Columbia Records)

In September 1994, the Pointer Sisters received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

She was addicted to cocaine for much of her career, and she was ousted from the Pointer Sisters in 2004.

On April 22, 2004, June was charged with felony cocaine possession and misdemeanor possession of a smoking device.

She was ordered to a rehabilitation facility.

On February 27, 2006, June suffered a stroke.

While hospitalized, she was diagnosed with cancer, which had metastasized in her breast, colon, liver and bones.

She died at UCLA Medical Center in Santa Monica, California on April 11, 2006, at the age of 52.

A family statement said June died "in the arms of her sisters Ruth and Anita and her brothers Aaron and Fritz by her side".

Pointer's funeral was held at the Church of the Hills in Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Los Angeles.

Pointer was cremated, and her ashes were buried at Mt. Tamalpais Cemetery in San Rafael, California.