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June Pointer

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June Pointer, as shown on the cover of her self-titled 1989 album

June Antoinette Pointer Whitmore (November 30, 1953 – April 11, 2006) was an American Pop/R&B singer and was a founding member of the legendary vocal group The Pointer Sisters.

1 Biography
2 References

Biography

Early life and career

Born the youngest of six to minister parents, June shared a love for singing with her 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; the group changed its name to The Pointer Sisters. After failed singles with Atlantic Records, eldest sister Ruth was enlisted to join the group in 1972. The sisters then signed with Blue Thumb, and their careers finally began taking off.

The Pointer Sisters and solo career

Releasing their self-titled debut album in 1973, the Pointer Sisters found fame with pop 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. The remaining sisters continued on as a trio and 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), and "Slow Hand" (1981) before releasing their biggest album, 1983's Break Out, which featured the group's biggest hits, "Jump (for My Love)" and a re-release of "I'm So Excited", which became a bigger hit than when originally released in 1982. Other hits from follow up albums include "Dare Me" and "Gold Mine". 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. During the 1980's, June ventured into a solo career, releasing albums in 1983 and 1989. She scored modest hits with "Ready For Some Action" (1983) and 1989's "Tight On Time (I'll Fit U In)". She also performed the song "Little Boy Sweet" for the 1983 film National Lampoon's Vacation. Together with Bruce Willis she scored 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 the eighties. Struggling with drug addiction for much of her career, June was ousted from the Pointer Sisters by 2004 as her sisters hoped and waited for her to become drug-free. Ruth's daughter filled in for June during stage performances.

Marriage

Divorced from William Oliver Whitmore II after a thirteen-year marriage that ended in 1991. June had no children.

Death

June passed away at 1:10pm on April 11, 2006 at the UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles, California from bone cancer, liver cancer, and lung cancer. She died in the arms of her older sisters and brothers Ruth, Anita, Aaron, and Fritz. She was just 52 years old.