June Pointer

The youngest of the Pointer Sisters' original line-up. Born on November 30, 1953 in Oakland, California. Died on April 11, 2006 in Santa Monica, California (USA). Prior to the Pointer Sisters getting their start as a quartet in the early 1970s, both June and her elder sister Bonnie originally sang as a duo, calling themselves "Pointers, a Pair" (incorrectly referred to as Pointers-Au-Pair).
June also stepped out on her own many times: her solo recording career debuted with the release of 1983's Baby Sister on Planet Records. The single Ready For Some Action reached the Top 30 on the R&B charts but I'm Ready For Love from the same album did not make any of the charts in the States. Both preceded the group's phenomenally successful album Break Out (US 1983) (opens in a new tab) which would also come out later that year. In 1986, the Pointers, with June on lead vocal, joined Bruce Willis for his cover of the classic Respect Yourself, which alos featured the sisters in the video. The single climbed to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified gold thanks in large part to the Sisters' vocal talents and specifically June's solo performance in the video, which itself became one of the biggest clips on MTV of the year.
June has also done other side projects while still remaining a member of the Pointer Sisters proper. In 1987 June recorded a duet with Dionne Warwick (Heartbreak Of Love) for Dionne's duets album Reservations For Two. June released her self-titled second solo album in 1989 and continued to tour live with sisters Anita and Ruth until 2001, when she decided to leave the group to pursue other interests. She died of cancer at UCLA Medical Center in Santa Monica at the age of 52.