Ronettes Singer Ronnie Spector Dies At 78

Photo by Michael Ochs/Getty Images

According to a brief statement from her family, Ronnie Spector’s family announced in a statement that the iconic singer passed away on Wednesday at the age of 78 after a “brief battle with cancer.”

As the lead singer of ’60s girl group The Ronettes, Spector changed the direction that females could take in music. The Ronettes brought a bad-girl attitude to pop music that had remained fairly clean-cut before they joined the scene. The group also included Spector’s older sister Estelle Bennett and their cousin Nedra Talley.

“We weren’t afraid to be hot. That was our gimmick,” Spector once wrote about The Ronettes’ tight clothing and large beehive hair.

As Spector led the group with hits like Be My Baby and Baby, I Love You, The Ronettes swept the charts during the 1960s. Spector’s feminine, but powerful voice created an innocent sound fused with boldness that separated their music from the rest.

Ronnie Spector will be so missed. KLOS sends all our love to her family and loved ones.

Watch Ronnie Spector perform Be My Baby with The Ronettes here: