Their early performing style was eclectic, and they won their first Grammy Award in the category of best country vocal performance by a duo or group for “Fairytale” (1974), written by Anita and Bonnie Pointer.
The country tune earned them enough credibility for the Pointer Sisters to become the first Black female group to perform at the Grand Ole Opry, according to a biography on the group’s website. Elvis Presley cut a version of “Fairytale” on one of his final albums, “Today.”
Bonnie left the group in the late 1970s for a solo career before the sister act became a pop sensation. The group’s 1983 album “Break Out” earned it its other two Grammys — best vocal arrangement for “Automatic” and best pop performance for “Jump (For My Love).”
With Ms. Pointer’s death, Ruth Pointer is the last living member of the four siblings who made up the original Pointer Sisters.
Anita Marie Pointer was born in Oakland, Calif., on Jan. 23, 1948. The sisters attended the church where their father was minister and began singing in the church choir.
Anita’s singing career began in the late 1960s after she quit her job as a secretary at a legal office. She retired from touring in 2015.
She was a collector of African American art and memorabilia. She amassed such a collection, according to her publicist, that the entire second floor of the Hollywood Museum in Los Angeles was given to the Pointer Sisters’ “Ever After” exhibit. The last photo of Bonnie (who died in 2020), Anita and Ruth was taken at the exhibit. June Pointer died in 2006.
Ms. Pointer’s marriages to David Harper and Richard Gonzales ended in divorce. A daughter from her first marriage, Jada, died in 2003. In addition to her sister Ruth, survivors include two brothers, Aaron and Fritz; and a granddaughter.
