Nedra Talley Ross, the last surviving member of the 1960s girl group the Ronettes, has died at age 81, according to multiple reports. She was part of recording some of the greatest pop songs of the era, including 'Be My Baby,' 'Walking in the Rain,' and 'Sleigh Ride,' according to multiple reports. The Ronettes, known for their distinctive sound and style, were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007.
After leaving pop stardom, Talley Ross and her husband Scott Ross became prominent figures on the Christian circuit, according to multiple reports. The couple converted a barn into a church, according to multiple reports, and Scott Ross became a popular TV minister, according to multiple reports. Their daughter Heather, in an interview with The Guardian - Culture, described the church as having a rock 'n' roll feel, with her father acting like a comedian on the microphone and her mother singing. The couple's ministry reached a wide audience through television broadcasts.
I wasn't impressed by him, and he didn't stir me with what he was saying, didn't scare me with what he was doing. He was quite arrogant, and who wants to deal with an arrogant person?
Talley Ross was not impressed by the Ronettes' producer Phil Spector, according to The Guardian - Culture. She described Spector as arrogant and said he did not stir or scare her. In her later years, Talley Ross had dementia, according to multiple reports. She also lost her husband of nearly 60 years a couple of years before her death, according to multiple reports. Her husband Scott Ross died in 2021, and the couple had been married since 1963.
The exact date and cause of her death have not been confirmed, nor has her age at the time of death. The name of the church she and her husband started has not been disclosed. It is also unknown whether she had any other children besides Heather, and the nature and duration of her dementia diagnosis remain unclear.
They would really want to know who you were and touch you. They'd look at our hair and say, 'Is that real?'
Now, where were you looking at us?
She was like, 'No, we have another show we've agreed to do. They're not doing it, can't you understand?'
It was the 70s, so it was a hip church, and it was packed. It wasn't normal – my dad was like a comedian on the mic and my mom sang, and the music was different, it had a rock'n'roll feel to it. Everyone sat on the floor on these shag rugs that were all different colours. It looked cool.