Yvonne Staples, a longtime member of the gospel and soul group the Staple Singers, has died, the New York Times reports. She passed away at her home in Chicago today following a battle with colon cancer. She was 80.
Yvonne was born in Chicago to a musical family. Her father Pops formed the Staple Singers in 1948, performing in churches around the city and even touring in the South. Their work drew from gospel, soul, and pop, and became commercially successful in the 1970s after Yvonne joined. Yvonne started singing in the group alongside her sisters Cleotha and Mavis in 1971. With her backing vocals, they recorded hits like “Respect Yourself,” “If You’re Ready (Come Go With Me),” “Let’s Do It Again,” (which was produced by Curtis Mayfield), and more.
She began tour managing and contributing vocals to Mavis’ solo career in the 1980s, retiring only a few years ago. The Staple Singers were inducted into he Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1999 and received a lifetime achievement award at the 2005 Grammy Awards. Yvonne and the group were involved in the civil rights movement and traveled with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who was a fan of their music.
Pops Staples died in 2000, while her sister Cleotha passed in 2013. Yvonne is survived by her siblings, Mavis and Pervis.
