Helen Reddy: Australian singer of feminist anthem I Am Woman passes away
Australian-born singer Helen Reddy attends the 2015 G'DAY USA GALA at the Hollywood Palladium, in Los Angeles. Helen Reddy, the Australian singer behind feminist anthem I Am Woman, has died aged 78.
Reddy died on Tuesday in Los Angeles, her family said in a statement on Facebook.
Helen Reddy, who shot to stardom in the 1970s with her rousing feminist anthem “I Am Woman” and recorded a string of other hits, has died. She was 78.
Her children Traci Donat and Jordan Sommers described her as 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’s children Traci and Jordan announced that the actor-singer died Tuesday in Los Angeles. “She was a wonderful Mother, Grandmother and a truly formidable woman,” they said in a statement. “Our hearts are broken. But we take comfort in the knowledge that her voice will live on forever.”
Reddy, who had Addison's disease and was diagnosed with dementia in 2015, spent the last years of her life in a celebrity care home in Los Angeles.
She had a string of pop-rock hits in the 1970s, but is best known for the 1972 anthem I Am Woman - which became prominent in the women's liberation movement.
Born in Melbourne in 1941, Reddy grew up in a showbiz family with actor parents, and performed regularly as a child.
After winning a talent contest in Australia, her prize ticket took her to New York City in the 1960s, where she auditioned for a recording contract.
That opportunity fell through but the soprano decided to stay on in the US, later signing with Capitol Records.
Her first hit, I Don't Know How to Love Him, was followed by a succession of others including Crazy Love, Delta Dawn, and Angie Baby.
But it was her second hit, I Am Woman, which catapulted her to international fame and became a defining song for a generation of women.
Reddy said she had penned the lyrics - with lines such as "I am woman, hear me roar" and "I am strong, I am invincible, I am woman" - after struggling to find other songs which reflected her pride in being a woman.
The Australian-born singer enjoyed a prolific career, appearing in “Airport 1975” as a singing nun and scoring several hits, including “Ain’t No Way To Treat a Lady,” “Delta Dawn,” “Angie Baby” and “You and Me Against the World.”
In 1973 she won the best female vocal pop performance Grammy Award for “I Am Woman,” quickly thanking her then-husband and others in her acceptance speech.
“I only have 10 seconds so I would like to thank everyone from Sony Capitol Records, I would like to think Jeff Wald because he makes my success possible and I would like to thank God because she makes everything possible,” Reddy said, hoisting her Grammy in the air and leaving the stage to loud applause. She also performed the song at the ceremony.
“I Am Woman” would become her biggest hit, used in films and television series.
In a 2012 interview with The Associated Press, Reddy cited the gigantic success of “I Am Woman” as one of the reasons she stepped out of public life.
“That was one of the reasons that I stopped singing, was when I was shown a modern American history high school textbook, and a whole chapter on feminism and my name and my lyrics (were) in the book,” she told the AP. “And I thought, `Well, I’m part of history now. And how do I top that? I can’t top that.′ So, it was an easy withdrawal.”
Among those to pay tribute on Wednesday was Unjoo Moon, who directed a biopic about Reddy - titled I Am Woman - which was released earlier this year.
"She paved the way for so many and the lyrics that she wrote for I Am Woman changed my life forever like they have done for so many other people and will continue to do for generations to come," Moon said.
Actress Jamie Lee Curtis shared a clip of Reddy singing her anthem at a Women's March protest in Los Angeles in 2017, part of global rallies which directed anger at US President Donald Trump.
"Honor of my life. Introducing Helen at the Women's March," she wrote, adding: "Read the lyrics".
Fellow actresses Jane Lynch and Patricia Arquette and 1970s singing group The Pointer Sisters also posted tributes.
At the height of her fame, Reddy toured internationally and was a regular guest on Hollywood showcase shows.
She hosted a season of the Helen Reddy Show on NBC TV in 1973, and a year later was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Later in her career she also featured in a handful of films and stage musicals.
