Grammy-winning Singer Anita Pointer Dies at 74

American singer Anita Pointer, a member of the Grammy-winning Pointer Sisters, died at 74, her publicist announced on Sunday.

Pointer passed away surrounded by her family at her Beverley Hills home in California.

"Heaven is a more loving beautiful place with Anita there," her family said in a statement.

In 2003, Pointer's personal life was marked by tragedy after losing her only child Jada Pointer from cancer aged just 37. She went on to raise her granddaughter Roxie McKain Pointer.

Her family said they were "comforted in knowing she is now with her daughter Jada and her sisters June & Bonnie and at peace."

Being the second oldest of the four sisters, Pointer and her siblings rose to fame with hits including Jump (For My Love) and Fire.

The group released its eponymous debut album in 1973. With their funky tune “Yes We Can Can”, they called for unity and tolerance at a time of racial unrest in the US. The song became the album's breakout hit.

In 1979, the band almost disbanded after Bonnie Pointer left to pursue a solo career, but the remaining sisters regrouped and went on to shed their previously retro image for a modern pop sound.

Throughout the 1980s, they remained a powerhouse in the US charts, and their hits, which included He's So Shy, Jump (For My Love), and Neutron Dance, have stood the test of time, remaining heavily streamed to this day.