Nedra Talley Ross, the last surviving member of the Ronettes, has died aged 80.
Talley Ross, who formed part of the Sixties pop trio with cousins Ronnie Spector and Estelle Bennett, died at home on Sunday morning, her daughter Nedra K Ross shared on social media.
“At approximately 8:30 this morning, our mother, Nedra Talley Ross, went home to be with the Lord,” she wrote. “She was safe in her own bed at home with her family close, knowing she was loved. Thank you Lord.”
Ross’s daughter did not disclose the cause of her death.
The news was also shared on the official Ronettes’ Facebook page, in a statement that said: “It is with heavy hearts that we share the news of Nedra Talley Ross’ passing. She was a light to those who knew and loved her,” the message read.
“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.”
Born in Manhattan on 27 January 1946, Talley Ross first began performing with cousins Ronnie (born Veronica Bennett) and Estelle when they were teenagers, signing a record deal with Colpix Records as the Darling Sisters in 1961.
After early singles failed to chart, they auditioned for producer Phil Spector, who signed them to his label Phillies Records, which is when they changed their name to the Ronettes.
They began by singing backup for other artists, until Spector helped them achieve their first big hit with “Be My Baby” and other songs on their debut album, Presenting the Fabulous Ronettes, which reached the US Billboard charts, including “Baby, I Love You”.
They toured the UK, where the Rolling Stones served as their opening act – guitarist Keith Richards wrote in his autobiography, Life, that they were “the hottest girl group in the world”. He fell in love with Ronnie, while Talley Ross briefly dated Brian Jones and Mick Jagger pursued Estelle.
The Ronettes also opened for the Beatles on their last world tour in 1966, the same year their last chart single, “I Can Hear Music”, reached number 100. Talley took lead vocals alongside Bennett during these shows, as the increasingly controlling Phil Spector had forbidden Ronnie, by then his partner, to go on the tour.
It was Richards who later inducted the Ronettes into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007, after Spector – a member of the Hall’s board of governors – effectively blocked their nomination for years, until his arrest for the murder of actor Lana Clarkson in 2003.
“They could sing their way right through a wall of sound,” Richards said in his speech inducting the group. “They didn’t need anything. They touched my heart right there and then, and they touch it still.”
The Ronettes agreed to split in 1967, with Talley Ross later reflecting that she disliked the “continual demand” on the group to produce hit after hit: “My personality didn’t like that.”
She continued to record music as a solo artist and released a solo contemporary Christian music album in 1978, along with a number of singles.
In 1988, 14 years after Ronnie filed for divorce after years of abuse by Spector, the Ronettes launched a lengthy legal battle in which they sued Spector over unpaid royalties. It was revealed in New York State’s court of appeals in 2002 that they had earned less than $15,000 from their hits.
In 2000, a New York court ordered Spector to pay the group $2.9m plus interest – he appealed twice.
Talley married radio personality Scott Ross in 1967; they remained together until his death in 2023. They are survived by their four children.
Ronnie Spector died from cancer aged 78 in 2022, while Bennett died aged 67 in 2009.
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