RONNIE SPECTOR. Star of the 1960s with the group The Ronettes, singer Ronnie Spector died at the age of 78, her family announced on Wednesday January 12, 2022.
[Mis à jour le 14 janvier 2022 à 11h55] She was an icon of the 1960s: singer Ronnie Spector died at 78, her family announced on Wednesday January 12, 2022 in a press release. “Ronnie lived her life with a twinkle in her eye, a spunky attitude, a squeaky sense of humor and a smile on her face. She was filled with love and gratitude,” the leaked document reads. by several American media, including CNN. Ronnie Spector was battling illness. “Our beloved angel, Ronnie, passed away peacefully from this world today after a brief battle with cancer,” his loved ones added in their statement.
Born Veronica Yvette Bennett on August 10, 1943, Ronnie Spector rose to fame with one of the very first girl bands in history, The Ronettes, powered by hits like Baby I Love You, Walking in the Rain, I Can Hear Music and Be My Baby. This song was immortalized in the credits of the cult 1980s film, Dirty Dancing.
Veronica Greenfield, who would later become Ronnie Spector, was born on August 10, 1943, in New York. Her mother was African-American and Native American, her father of Irish descent. Very quickly, with her sister Estelle Bennett (died in 2009) and their cousin Nedra Talley, they launched into music, pushed by their family. Together, they first formed the Darling Sisters, then Ronnie and the Relatives when they performed in clubs, before becoming the girl bands that would propel them onto the world music scene, The Ronettes.
The Ronettes rose to fame in the early 1960s in the New York area. In 1964, a year after signing a contract with the legendary producer Phil Spector, the three young women performed, for example, in the United Kingdom alongside the Rolling Stones. That same year, the Ronettes unveiled Presenting the Fabulous Ronettes Featuring Veronica, their first album, of which five of the twelve titles will climb to the Billboard, the American classification of the greatest successes of music. The group broke up in 1967. After this breakup, Ronnie Spector continued in music, and released three albums, Unfinished Business (1987), The Last of the Rock Star (2006) which includes collaborations with Keith Richards or Patti Smith and English Heart (2016).
In 1963, The Ronettes signed with producer Phil Spector. A year after the separation of the group, Ronnie Spector marries this one and takes his name. In 1969, the couple adopted a son, Donté Phillip, before welcoming twins also adopted, Louis and Gary, “offered” by surprise for Christmas by the producer. Years later, in her autobiography, the singer will denounce a toxic relationship, accusing in particular Phil Spector of having sabotaged her career and of having forced her to live as a recluse in her home in Beverly Hills, California. The couple divorced in 1974. In 1982, Ronnie Spector remarried with Jonathan Greenfield. Phil Spector died on January 16, 2021.