Pop singer Ronnie Spector dies at 78
Ronnie Spector, the leader of '60s girl group the Ronettes, died Wednesday following a short battle with cancer. She was 78.
"Ronnie lived her life with a twinkle in her eye, a spunky attitude, a wicked sense of humor, and a smile on her face," Spector's family said in a statement. "She was filled with love and gratitude."
Born Veronica Bennett on Aug. 10, 1943, Spector started the Ronettes in the late 1950s with her sister, Estelle Bennett, and cousin Nedra Talley. Their debut — and only — album, Presenting the Fabulous Ronettes Featuring Veronica, was released in 1964. Their hits included "Be My Baby" and "Baby I Love You," and they toured England with the Rolling Stones. The Ronettes broke up in 1967 after touring Germany, and Spector went on to release four solo albums.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Spector was known for her style, and love of bee-hives and winged eyeliner. In her memoir, Be My Baby: How I Survived Mascara, Miniskirts, and Madness, Spector wrote the Ronettes "weren't afraid to be hot. That was our gimmick." Amy Winehouse named Spector as one of her idols, and Billy Joel said he wrote "Say Goodbye to Hollywood" with Spector in mind.
In 1968, Spector married producer Phil Spector, and she shared details about their relationship in her memoir. She said he abused her and wouldn't let her leave their Beverly Hills mansion, routinely threatening her life. She divorced Spector in 1974; he died in 2020 while serving prison time for the 2003 murder of actress Lana Clarkson.
Ronnie married her manager, Jonathan Greenfield, in 1982. She is survived by Greenfield and their sons, Jason and Austin.
-
Claude Code: the viral AI coding app making a splash in techThe Explainer Engineers and noncoders alike are helping the app go viral
-
‘Human trafficking isn’t something that happens “somewhere else”’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
What would a credit card rate cap mean for you?the explainer President Donald Trump has floated the possibility of a one-year rate cap
-
Bob Weir: The Grateful Dead guitarist who kept the hippie flameFeature The fan favorite died at 78
-
Brigitte Bardot: the bombshell who embodied the new FranceFeature The actress retired from cinema at 39, and later become known for animal rights activism and anti-Muslim bigotry
-
‘One Battle After Another’ wins Critics Choice honorsSpeed Read Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest film, which stars Leonardo DiCaprio, won best picture at the 31st Critics Choice Awards
-
Joanna Trollope: novelist who had a No. 1 bestseller with The Rector’s WifeIn the Spotlight Trollope found fame with intelligent novels about the dramas and dilemmas of modern women
-
Frank Gehry: the architect who made buildings flow like waterFeature The revered building master died at the age of 96
-
Son arrested over killing of Rob and Michele ReinerSpeed Read Nick, the 32-year-old son of Hollywood director Rob Reiner, has been booked for the murder of his parents
-
Rob Reiner, wife dead in ‘apparent homicide’speed read The Reiners, found in their Los Angeles home, ‘had injuries consistent with being stabbed’
-
R&B singer D’AngeloFeature A reclusive visionary who transformed the genre
