LAS VEGAS (NewsNation Now) — Mary Wilson, the longest-reigning original Supreme, has died at 76 years old.
Wilson died Monday night at her home in Las Vegas and the cause was not immediately clear, said publicist Jay Schwartz.
“We are in shock,” Schwartz told NewsNation.
Wilson, Diana Ross and Florence Ballard made up the first successful configuration of The Supremes. She stayed with the group until it was officially disbanded by Motown in 1977.
The group’s first No. 1, million-selling song, “Where Did Our Love Go,” was released June 17, 1964.
Berry Gordy, the founder of Motown Records, released a statement on Wilson’s passing. It said, in part, “I was extremely shocked and saddened to hear of the passing of a major member of the Motown family.”
“The Supremes were always known as the ‘sweethearts of Motown,”’ Gordy said. “I was always proud of Mary. She was quite a star in her own right and over the years continued to work hard to boost the legacy of the Supremes.”
Schwartz says a celebration of Wilson’s life will take place later this year.