Staples, who was inducted into the Rock Hall of Fame with her family in 1999, can be heard on classics like ‘I’ll Take You There.’
CHICAGO – Yvonne Staples, whose voice and business acumen powered the success of her family’s Staples Singers gospel, soul and R&B group, has died at age 80.
The Chicago funeral home Leak & Sons says that Staples died Tuesday at home in Chicago.
The Chicago Sun-Times reports Yvonne performed with her sisters Mavis and Cleotha and their father Pops on hits such as Respect Yourself and I’ll Take You There .
Family friend Bill Carpenter described Staples as a business-minded person who was “no nonsense but at the same time had a heart of gold.”
Staples was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with her family in 1999.
The group racked up five Grammy nominations between 1961 and 1973. They later received a lifetime achievement award from the Grammys in 2005.
The Staples also became active in the civil rights movement and performed at events at the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s request.
Contributing: Jayme Deerwester, USA TODAY
