Australian singer Helen Reddy, who shot to stardom with her hit ‘I Am Woman’ has died at the age of 78.
Reddy’s children confirmed her passing in a statement on social media.
“It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved mother, Helen Reddy, on the afternoon of September 29th 2020 in Los Angeles,” they wrote.
“She was a wonderful Mother, Grandmother and a truly formidable woman. Our hearts are broken. But we take comfort in the knowledge that her voice will live on forever.”
Reddy is remembered as a trailblazing feminist icon, becoming a global top-selling female singer in the 1970s. She was most known for her stirring ballad ‘I Am Woman’ winning her a Grammy in 1973, where she famously thanked “God, because She makes everything possible”.
She went on to have three number of hits and a handful of songs in the top 40, as well as hosting a weekly prime-time TV show and a successful acting career.
She was diagnosed with dementia in 2015 and was living in a nursing home in Los Angeles before her passing.
Speaking to MiNDFOOD, actor Tilda Cobham-Hervey who portays Reddy in the upcoming biopic I Am Woman, spoke about the singer’s incredible legacy as a feminist icon.
“[She was] one of the most incredible feminist of our time, who led the way for women in the industry in terms of fighting for their rights.”
READ MORE: Reddy, steady, go: Tilda Cobham-Hervey on portraying an Australian icon. c
