American soul and R&B singer Betty Wright passed away on Sunday. She was 66 years old. Wright scored hits including Tonight Is The Night, Where Is The Love? (both 1974) and No Pain, (No Gain) (1988).
The death of Wright, who was born Bessie Regina Norris, was announced on Twitter by her niece. It is not known where the singer died.
Wright was from Miami. She started her singing career as a member of the gospel group Echoes of Joy, along with her siblings, and signed a recording contract in 1966 at the age of thirteen. Her first album, My First Time Around, appeared two years later.
As an eighteen-year-old, Wright had her first big hit, which would also be the biggest in her career: Clean Up Woman. Her first and only Grammy Award followed three years later, before Where Is The Love?
Wright started his own record label
In the two decades that followed, she continued to make music herself and in the 1980s was the first female artist to start a record label herself. Wright’s last big hit, No Pain, (No Gain) came out in 1988.
Wright has collaborated on songs from other major artists, such as Gloria Estefan, Jennifer Lopez and Joss Stone. Her work has also been sampled extensively, including by Beyoncé and Mary J. Blige.
Wright made a comeback in 2011, thanks to the album Betty Wright: The Movie, for which she collaborated with The Roots. The number Surrender from that album was nominated for a Grammy.
Wright’s son was murdered in 2005
She married three times. Her last marriage to legendary reggae artist and producer Noel ‘King Sporty’ Williams lasted until his death in 2015. Wright had five children. One of them, son Patrick, was shot dead in 2005 at the age of 21 after a fight at a party.
Wright performed regularly in the Netherlands, including at North Sea Jazz. In July last year she gave a concert in Paradiso.
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