Born: November 30, 1953
Place of Birth: Oakland, CA
Died: April 11, 2006
Zodiac Sign: Sagittarius
June Antoinette Pointer was an American singer best known as the youngest of the founding members of the Pointer Sisters vocal group.
Born the youngest of six children to minister parents Reverend Elton and Sarah Pointer, June shared a love of singing with her sisters. In 1969, she and her sister Bonnie founded the Pointers. The duo sang at numerous clubs, then became a trio later that year when sister Anita quit her job as a secretary to join them. The group officially changed its name to the Pointer Sisters. The trio signed a record deal with Atlantic Records and released a few singles, none of which substantially impacted the music charts. In 1972, sister Ruth joined the group, making it a quartet. The sisters then signed with Blue Thumb Records, and their careers began to take off.
Releasing their self-titled debut album in 1973, the Pointer Sisters found immediate fame with hits such as "Yes We Can Can" and "Wang Dang Doodle." Subsequent albums boasted top-charting songs such as "Fairytale," "How Long (Betcha Got a Chick on the Side)," and "You Gotta Believe." June left the group in November 1975, having been advised to retire because of extreme mental and physical exhaustion. Bonnie Pointer left the group to forge a solo career in 1977.
Upon June's return, the remaining sisters found colossal success, reaching the Top 10 in early 1979 with a cover of Bruce Springsteen's "Fire"; this time began a string of hits that included "Happiness," "He's So Shy" (1980), "Slow Hand" (1981), "American Music," "Should I Do It" and "I'm So Excited." In 1983, the group released Break Out, their biggest album. It included the top 10 hits "Automatic,"; "Jump (For My Love)," a re-release of "I'm So Excited," which became a bigger hit than when initially released in 1982, and "Neutron Dance." Subsequent albums spawned hits such as "Dare Me," "Freedom," and "Goldmine." June sang lead vocals on several of the group's top singles, including "Happiness," "He's So Shy," "Jump (For My Love)," "Baby Come and Get It," and "Dare Me."
Eventually, June ventured into a solo career while staying with the Pointer Sisters; she released the Baby Sister album in 1983 (it scored a modest hit with "Ready for Some Action," #28 R&B) and a self-titled effort in 1989 (its charting single was "Tight on Time (Fit U In), #70 R&B)". June also performed the song "Little Boy Sweet" for the 1983 film National Lampoon's Vacation. In 1987, she scored a top 5 pop single with Bruce Willis with a cover of the Staples Singers' "Respect Yourself." She also gained notoriety for posing for Playboy in 1985.
In September 1994, the Pointer Sisters received a Hollywood Walk of Fame star.
June was married to William Oliver Whitmore II from 1978 until 1991. She had no children. She was addicted to cocaine for much of her career, and she was ousted from the Pointer Sisters in 2004. On April 22, 2004, June was charged with felony cocaine possession and misdemeanor possession of a smoking device. She was ordered to a rehabilitation facility.
On February 27, 2006, June suffered a stroke. While hospitalized, she was diagnosed with cancer, which had metastasized in her breast, colon, liver, and bones. She died at UCLA Medical Center in Santa Monica, California, on April 11, 2006, at the age of 52. A family statement said June died "in the arms of her sisters Ruth and Anita and her brothers Aaron and Fritz by her side."