(CNN)Ronnie Spector, the swaggering 1960s popular icon with the sky-high beehive whose sultry, quavering dependable powered galore hits for The Ronettes, including "Be My Baby," has died, her household announced successful a connection Wednesday.
She was 78.
"Our beloved world angel, Ronnie, peacefully near this satellite contiguous aft a little conflict with cancer," the household said. "She was with household and successful the arms of her husband, Jonathan. Ronnie lived her beingness with a twinkle successful her eye, a spunky attitude, a wicked consciousness of wit and a grin connected her face."
Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys has called "Be My Baby" the greatest popular recording ever produced.
Tributes to Spector's endowment began pouring successful from euphony royalty.
"I conscionable heard the quality astir Ronnie Spector and I don't cognize what to say," Wilson wrote connected Twitter. "I loved her dependable truthful overmuch and she was a precise peculiar idiosyncratic and a beloved friend. This conscionable breaks my heart. Ronnie's euphony and tone volition unrecorded forever."
Joan Jett said Spector's "mark connected stone and rotation is indelible."
Born Veronica Bennett successful the Spanish Harlem vicinity of New York City, she formed the Ronettes successful 1961 with an older sister and a relative portion she was inactive a teenager.
The radical didn't go celebrated until aft they auditioned 2 years aboriginal for euphony shaper Phil Spector, creator of the 1960s' "Wall of Sound" style, who signed them to his label.
Fueled by the runaway occurrence of "Be My Baby," their archetypal azygous for Spector, they toured the state with Dick Clark's Caravan of Stars and reeled disconnected a drawstring of popular hits implicit the adjacent respective years, including "Baby I Love You," "Walking successful the Rain" and "Do I Love You?"
The miss radical besides became hugely fashionable successful England, wherever the Ronettes headlined implicit acts specified arsenic the Rolling Stones and Eric Clapton and The Yardbirds, according to Ronnie Spector's website, and aboriginal opened for the Beatles connected their last US circuit successful 1966.
The radical broke up successful 1967. Soon aft Ronnie wed Phil Spector, with whom she had a tumultuous relationship. The mates divorced successful 1974.
In her memoir, "Be My Baby: How I Survived Mascara, Miniskirts, and Madness," Ronnie Spector described her hubby arsenic controlling and emotionally abusive.
In societal media posts aft his decease past year, she famously said, "he was a superb producer, but a lousy husband."
By the mid-1970s, Ronnie Spector had launched a caller vocation arsenic a solo artist. Although she ne'er again reached the commercialized highest of her '60s heyday, she returned to Top 40 vigor singing with Eddie Money connected his 1986 hit, "Take Me Home Tonight."
In 1988, Ronnie Spector and the Ronettes sued Phil Spector for much than $10 cardinal successful royalties and licensing fees. A tribunal yet ordered him to wage the Ronettes royalties doubly a year.
Phil Spector was aboriginal convicted of murdering histrion Lana Clarkson and sentenced to 19 years successful prison. He died down bars.
Ronnie Spector continued to grounds euphony and execute good into her 70s.
Her household said she "was filled with emotion and gratitude. Her joyful sound, playful quality and magical beingness volition unrecorded connected successful each who knew, heard oregon saw her. In lieu of flowers, Ronnie requested that donations beryllium made to your section women's structure oregon to the American Indian College Fund. A solemnisation of Ronnie's beingness and euphony volition beryllium announced successful the future. The household respectfully asks for privateness astatine this time."
English (US) ·