Nedra Talley Ross, the last surviving founding member of 1960s girl group the Ronettes, has died. She was 80.
A post on the Ronettes’ official Facebook page announced the news Sunday but didn’t share a cause of death or any other details.
“It is with heavy hearts that we share the news of Nedra Talley Ross’ passing,” the post reads. “She was a light to those who knew and loved her. As a founding member of The Ronettes, along with her beloved cousins Ronnie and Estelle, Nedra’s voice, style and spirit helped define a sound that would change music. Her contribution to the group’s story and their defining influence will live forever. Rest peacefully dear Nedra. Thanks for the magic.”
Talley, who was born on Jan. 27, 1946, formed the girl group with her cousins — lead singer Veronica Bennett (who later was known as Ronnie Spector) and her older sister Estelle Bennett — with whom she’d been singing since they were in their teens. First known as the Darling Sisters, they signed with Colpix Records in 1961.
Two years later, the auditioned for Phil Spector, known for his big brass-and-drum style, which was called the “wall of sound.” He signed them to his Philles Records, which was when they changed their name to the Ronettes. After being signed, they sang backup for other acts. until Spector had the group record “Be My Baby” and “Baby, I Love You.”
The group’s debut album, Presenting the Fabulous Ronettes, was released in 1964 and produced five songs that made it to the U.S. Billboard charts. The group would have several hit singles, including “Walking in the Rain,” “I Can Hear Music,” “(The Best Part of) Breaking Up” and “Do I Love You.”
They went on to tour Europe in 1967, with opening act the Rolling Stones, and then opened for the Beatles on that group’s last world tour.
Talley also married Scott Ross, a radio and TV personality, in 1967. That’s the same year that the group broke up — reportedly in part thanks to Phil Spector, with whom she had a famously abusive and controlling relationship, as she detailed in memoir, Be My Baby. But Talley also has said she was ready to leave the group to focus on making Christian music, which she admitted in an interview was not a popular choice at the time.
“In 1966, there was nobody in the rock ‘n’ roll world who was talking about Jesus,” she told Christian Broadcasting Network. “Today you are constantly hearing that this one knows the Lord, or that one knows the Lord. So I went back and found nobody who would stand with me as another Christian in the music business. There were none. Nobody was making Christian music. No one was saying, ‘I want to sing for the Lord.’ So it was like I was just out there very much by myself.”
She went on to record several Christian songs after leaving the Ronettes. The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007.
Talley Ross and her husband had four children together. He died in 2023.
Estelle Bennett died in 2009, while Ronnie Spector died in 2022.
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